Liliʻuokalani was the first queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. She ascended to the throne on January 29, 1891, nine days after the death of her brother Kalākaua, and inherited his cabinet ministers. The four cabinet positions were Attorney General, Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior. The ministers were ex-officio members of the House of Nobles in the legislature and the Privy Council of State, a larger body of advisors.
The Bayonet Constitution that Kalākaua had been forced to sign in 1887 allowed the monarch to appoint the cabinet, but transferred the power of their removal to the legislature alone. A legislative "resolution of want of confidence" would force the resignation of an entire cabinet. The new law allowed non-residents to vote, but economic and literacy restrictions disenfranchised a majority of Asians and native Hawaiians.[1] After her brother's funeral, the queen demanded the resignations of his ministers, causing a legal challenge when they refused. The case was decided in her favor by the Supreme Court of the kingdom.[2]
Shortly after her accession, Liliʻuokalani began to receive petitions through the political party Hui Kālaiʻāina and the National Reform Party, to re-write the constitution.[3] The proposed constitution co-written by the queen and two legislators, Joseph Nāwahī and William Pūnohu White, would have restored the power to the monarchy, and voting rights to the disenfranchised population.[4][5]
Attorney General Arthur P. Peterson, Minister of Finance William H. Cornwell, Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Parker and Minister of the Interior John F. Colburn were specifically appointed on January 13, 1893, because the queen believed they would support her promulgation of a new constitution, but they refused to sign the document.[6] On January 17, 1893, the Kingdom of Hawaii fell to a coup d'état, planned and executed by the Committee of Safety, mostly foreign-born residents in Honolulu, whose goal was the annexation of Hawaii by the United States.[7]
Cabinet ministers January 29, 1891 – January 17, 1893 edit
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil Brown | .jpg) |
Attorney General Nov, 1892 – Jan 12, 1893 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" | [8] |
| Godfrey Brown | .jpg) |
Minister of Finance Jan 29 – Feb 25, 1891 |
Hold-over from Kalākaua administration; until Liliʻuokalani installed Herman A. Widemann in the position. | [9] |
| John F. Colburn |  |
Minister of the Interior Jan 13–17, 1893 |
Jan 17 overthrow of the Kingdom | [10] |
| William H. Cornwell | .jpg) |
Minister of Finance Nov 1, 1892 Jan 13–17, 1893 |
1892 Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" Jan 17, 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom |
[11] |
| Charles F. Creighton |  |
Attorney General Nov 1, 1892 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" Exiled for his part in the 1895 Wilcox rebellion to restore the monarchy. The son of Kalākaua's Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert James Creighton |
[11][12] |
| John Adams Cummins |  |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan 29 – Feb 25, 1891 |
Hold-over from Kalākaua administration, until Liliʻuokalani installed Samuel Parker in the position | [13] |
| Charles T. Gulick | .jpg) |
Minister of the Interior Aug 6, 1883 – June 30, 1886 Sept 12, 1892 – Nov 1, 1892 (acting) Minister of Finance Sept 1, 1885 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" Exiled for his part in the 1895 Wilcox rebellion to restore the monarchy. |
[14][12] |
| Peter Cushman Jones | .jpg) |
Minister of Finance Nov 8, 1892 – Jan 12, 1893 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" | [8] |
| Edward Creamor Macfarlane |  |
Minister of Finance Sept 12 – Nov 1, 1892 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" | [8] |
| John Mott-Smith |  |
Minister of Finance July 28 – Oct 17, 1891 |
[15] | |
| Joseph Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahī |  |
Minister of Foreign Affairs November 1, 1892 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" | [11] |
| Paul Neumann |  |
Attorney General Aug 29–30, 1892 Sept 12 – Oct 17, 1892 |
Acted as the queen's personal attorney after the overthrow. | [16] |
| Samuel Parker | Minister of Finance (acting) Mar 10 – June 28, 1891 Oct 17, 1891 – Jan 28 1892 Minister of Foreign Affairs Feb 25, 1891– Nov 1, 1892 Jan 13–17, 1893 |
Jan 17 overthrow of the Kingdom | [10] | |
| Arthur P. Peterson |  |
Attorney General Jan 29– Feb 25, 1891 Jan 13–17, 1893 |
Hold-over from Kalākaua administration Jan 17 overthrow of the Kingdom Exiled for his part in the 1895 Wilcox rebellion to restore the monarchy. |
[17][12] |
| Mark P. Robinson | .jpg) |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nov 8, 1892 – Jan 12, 1893 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" | [8] |
| Charles Nichols Spencer |  |
Minister of the Interior Jan 29, 1891 – Sept 12, 1892 |
Hold-over from Kalākaua administration | [18] |
| William A. Whiting |  |
Attorney General Feb 25, 1891 – July 27, 1892 |
Resigned over conflict with Samuel Parker | [19] |
| Hermann A. Widemann | .jpg) |
Minister of Finance Feb 25 – Mar 10,1891 July 28 – Sept 12, 1892 |
Justice of the Supreme Court July 10, 1869 – Feb 18, 1874 Appointed by Kamehameha V Minister of the Interior under Kalākaua |
[20] |
| George Norton Wilcox |  |
Minister of the Interior Nov 8, 1892 – Jan 12, 1893 |
Legislative "resolution of want of confidence" | [8] |
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Attorney Generals edit
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|
Ministers of Finance edit
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|
Ministers of Foreign Affairs edit
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|
Ministers of the Interior edit
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|
See also edit
References edit
- ^ MacLennan 2014, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Kuykendall 1967, p. 367.
- ^ Russ 1959, p. 67.
- ^ Daws 1968, p. 271.
- ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 582–586.
- ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 580–583.
- ^ Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Congress. US Government Printing Office. 1894. p. 2288.
- ^ a b c d e Kuykendall 1967, p. 579.
- ^ Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 178, 287. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLydecker1918 (help)
- ^ a b Kuykendall 1967, p. 581.
- ^ a b c Kuykendall 1967, p. 557.
- ^ a b c "They All Went Willingly". The Pacific commercial advertiser. February 25, 1895. p. 3. Retrieved December 28, 2018.; "Wail Of The Hawaiian Exiled". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. March 18, 1895. p. 6. Retrieved December 28, 2018.; "Death of R. J. Creighton". The Hawaiian Gazette. June 6, 1893. Retrieved January 8, 2019.; "R. J. Creighton Dead". The Hawaiian Star. June 1, 1893. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ Lydecker 1918, pp. 127, 178, 182, 288. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLydecker1918 (help)
- ^ Kuykendall 1967, p. 557;Lydecker 1918, pp. 152, 156, 182, 289 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLydecker1918 (help)
- ^ Lydecker 1918, pp. 51, 107, 109, 117, 121, 136, 139, 143, 147, 152, 156, 297. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLydecker1918 (help)
- ^ "Neumann, Paul office record". state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 3, 2016 suggested (help); "Abdication of Queen Liliuokalan: Safety at the Price of a Kingdom, of Little Moment Now for the Cause of the Royalists is a Lost Cause". The Morning Call. San Francisco. February 7, 1895. Retrieved January 1, 2019. - ^ Lydecker 1918, pp. 178, 188, 298. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLydecker1918 (help)
- ^ Lydecker 1918, pp. 178, 182, 299. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLydecker1918 (help)
- ^ Kuykendall 1967, p. 550.
- ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 12–13; "Widemann, Hermann A. office record". state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
Bibliography edit
- Daws, Gavan (1968). Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824803247. OCLC 45815755.
- Kuykendall, Ralph Simpson (1967). The Hawaiian Kingdom 1874–1893, The Kalakaua Dynasty. Vol. 3. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-87022-433-1. OCLC 500374815.
- Lydecker, Robert C. (1918). Rosters of Legislatures of Hawaii 1841–1918. The Honolulu Gazette Col., Ltd. p. 301.
- MacLennan, Carol A. (2014). Sovereign Sugar. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3949-9 – via Project MUSE.
- Russ, William Adam (1959). The Hawaiian Revolution (1893–94). Selinsgrove, PA: Susquehanna University Press. ISBN 978-0-945636-53-3. OCLC 24846595.
Further reading edit
- All about Hawaii. The recognized book of authentic information on Hawaii, combined with Thrum's Hawaiian annual and standard guide ((original from University of Michigan)). Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1891. pp. 92–97 – via HathiTrust.
- "A List of All the Cabinet Ministers Who Have Held Office in the Hawaiian Kingdom"
- Hewett, A M (1887). A Sketch of Recent Events, being a short account of the events which culminated on June 30, 1887, together with a full report of THE GREAT REFORM MEETING, and the two constitutions in parallel columns. Hawaiian gazette print – via HathiTrust.
- 37 pages relating to the Bayonet Constitution
- Liliuokalani (1898). Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen, Liliuokalani. Boston: Lee and Shepard. ISBN 978-0-548-22265-2. OCLC 2387226 – via HathiTrust.
- Lydecker, Robert C. (1918). (full text) 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom and Kalakaua's November 3 speech before the Legislative Assembly. The Honolulu Gazette Col., Ltd. pp. 159–173.
- Spaulding, Thomas Marshall (1924). Cabinet Government in Hawaii, 1887–1893. Honolulu: University of Hawaii at Manoa. OCLC 964596158.