Charles Reed Bishop
Encyclopedia
Charles Reed Bishop was a businessman and philanthropist in Hawaii
.
Born in Glens Falls, New York
, he sailed to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, and made his home there. Bishop was one of the first trustees of and a major donor to the Kamehameha Schools
in Hawaii. He also founded the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and founded Hawaii's first successful bank, which is now known as First Hawaiian Bank
.
. Charles' mother died two weeks after giving birth to her next son, Henry. His father died when he was four, and Charles went to live with his grandfather on his 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) farm in Warrensburg
. He worked on his grandfather's farm, learning how to care for sheep, cattle, and horses. While at his grandfather's house, he was baptized in a Methodist church.
Bishop spent his early years of education at a village school, and his 7th and 8th grade years completed his formal schooling. Bishop was then able to get a job as a clerk, and was soon hired by Nelson J. Warren, who headed the largest mercantile company in Warrensburg.
He met William Little Lee
(1821–1857) from nearby Hudson Falls, New York
, then called Sandy Hill. His uncle Linus Bishop married Lee's sister Eliza. Lee attended Harvard Law School
and convinced Bishop to travel to the Oregon Territory
.
and needed to stop in Honolulu for provisions. Lee was convinced to become the second western-trained lawyer in the Hawaiian islands
and first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Reed decided to stay with him, and was hired to sort out the failed land deal of Ladd & Co.
which was the first major formal law proceeding. He then worked for the U.S. Consul
.
On February 27, 1849 he became a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii
. He became an investor with Henry A. Peirce
and Lee in a sugar plantation
on the island of Kauai
, near where the Ladd company had been somewhat successful. From 1849 to 1853 he was Collector General of Customs.
On May 4, 1850 he married Bernice Pauahi Pākī
, descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha
, despite the objections of her parents.
A private ceremony in the Royal School was not attended by her family, but within a year her father Pākī
made peace and the couple lived in the family esate called Haleakala. Bishop formed a partnership with William A. Aldrich selling merchandise to be shipped to the California Gold Rush
. He became known as a trusted place for traders to deposit and exchange the various currencies in use at the time.
In 1853 he was elected as representative to the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
.
On August 17, 1858 Aldrich split off the shipping business, and Bishop founded Bishop & Co. as the first chartered bank in the Kingdom and the second oldest bank west of the Rocky Mountains
. On its first day it took in $4784.25 in deposits. In 1878 it outgrew its basement room and expanded to a two story building, which still stands as a contributing property to the Merchant Street Historic District
.
In 1895 he sold the bank to Samuel Mills Damon
(1841–1924), son of missionary Samuel C. Damon
(1815–1885). Over time the bank grew and became First Hawaiian Bank
in 1960.
. From 1869 to 1891 he served on the Board of Education. During the brief reign of King Lunalilo
he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 10, 1873 to February 17, 1874.
Bishop was one of the first trustees of and major donor to the Kamehameha Schools
, and founder of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Bishop hired William Tufts Brigham
, (whom he had met on a scientific visit in 1864 with Horace Mann Jr.
) to be the museum's first director. He also donated funds for buildings at Punahou School
. Bishop was also president of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce 1883–1885 and 1888–1894.
After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Bishop left Hawaii and moved to San Francisco, California
in 1894. He became vice-president of the Bank of California
until he died June 7, 1915. He stayed involved in Hawaiian estate affairs from California. For example, he hired architects Clinton Briggs Ripley
and Charles William Dickey
to design a new building for the Bishop estate headquarters and Pauahi Hall on the Punahou School campus.
.
Elisha Hunt Allen
's son William Fessenden Allen
married his cousin Cordelia Church.
A major street cutting through Bishop property in downtown Honolulu
at 21°18′32"N 157°51′38"W bears the family name.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Born in Glens Falls, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he sailed to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, and made his home there. Bishop was one of the first trustees of and a major donor to the Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
in Hawaii. He also founded the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and founded Hawaii's first successful bank, which is now known as First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii at the First Hawaiian Center. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, which itself is a subsidiary of the French banking company, BNP Paribas...
.
Early life
On January 25, 1822, Charles Reed Bishop was born to Maria Reed Bishop and Samuel Bishop. His father was a toll collector who worked on a toll booth in the middle of the Hudson River near Glens Falls, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Charles' mother died two weeks after giving birth to her next son, Henry. His father died when he was four, and Charles went to live with his grandfather on his 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) farm in Warrensburg
Warrensburg (town), New York
Warrensburg is a town in Warren County, New York, USA. It is centrally located in the county, west of Lake George. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,255 at the 2000 census. Like the county, the town is named after General Joseph Warren. U.S....
. He worked on his grandfather's farm, learning how to care for sheep, cattle, and horses. While at his grandfather's house, he was baptized in a Methodist church.
Bishop spent his early years of education at a village school, and his 7th and 8th grade years completed his formal schooling. Bishop was then able to get a job as a clerk, and was soon hired by Nelson J. Warren, who headed the largest mercantile company in Warrensburg.
He met William Little Lee
William Little Lee
William Little Lee was an American lawyer who became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:...
(1821–1857) from nearby Hudson Falls, New York
Hudson Falls, New York
Hudson Falls is a village located in Washington County, New York, USA. The village is in the southwest part of the town of Kingsbury, on US Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 6,927...
, then called Sandy Hill. His uncle Linus Bishop married Lee's sister Eliza. Lee attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and convinced Bishop to travel to the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
.
In Hawaii
Bishop sailed on the Henry, leaving February 23, 1846 with his friend Lee. By October the ship had rounded Cape HornCape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
and needed to stop in Honolulu for provisions. Lee was convinced to become the second western-trained lawyer in the Hawaiian islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Reed decided to stay with him, and was hired to sort out the failed land deal of Ladd & Co.
Ladd & Co.
Ladd & Company was an early business partnership in the Kingdom of Hawaii.Its founders were William Ladd , Peter Allen Brinsmade , and William Northey Hooper...
which was the first major formal law proceeding. He then worked for the U.S. Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
.
On February 27, 1849 he became a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. He became an investor with Henry A. Peirce
Henry A. Peirce
Henry Augustus Peirce was an American businessman and diplomat. Some sources spell his last name as Pierce.-Early life and business:...
and Lee in a sugar plantation
Sugar plantations in Hawaii
Sugarcane was introduced to Hawaii by its first inhabitants in approximately 600 AD and was observed by Captain Cook upon arrival in the islands in 1778. Sugar quickly turned into a big business and generated rapid population growth in the islands with 337,000 people immigrating over the span of a...
on the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, near where the Ladd company had been somewhat successful. From 1849 to 1853 he was Collector General of Customs.
On May 4, 1850 he married Bernice Pauahi Pākī
Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop , born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was a Hawaiian princess, philanthropist, alii, and direct descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha. She was the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and last surviving heir...
, descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha
House of Kamehameha
The House of Kamehameha , or the Kamehameha Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii between the unification of the islands by Kamehameha I in 1810 and the death of Kamehameha V in 1872...
, despite the objections of her parents.
A private ceremony in the Royal School was not attended by her family, but within a year her father Pākī
Paki
Paki may refer to:*Paki, California, former settlement in Butte County*Paki, a derogatory term for a person from Pakistan*Pākī , Hawaiian high chief during the reign of King Kamehameha III...
made peace and the couple lived in the family esate called Haleakala. Bishop formed a partnership with William A. Aldrich selling merchandise to be shipped to the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. He became known as a trusted place for traders to deposit and exchange the various currencies in use at the time.
In 1853 he was elected as representative to the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
.
Bank
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. On its first day it took in $4784.25 in deposits. In 1878 it outgrew its basement room and expanded to a two story building, which still stands as a contributing property to the Merchant Street Historic District
Merchant Street Historic District
The Merchant Street Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, was the city's earliest commercial center.-Location:Bounded roughly by Fort Street at the southeast end and Nuuanu Avenue at the northwest, its older, low-rise, brick and stone buildings, surrounded by contemporary, concrete high rises,...
.
In 1895 he sold the bank to Samuel Mills Damon
Samuel Mills Damon
Samuel Mills Damon was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Samuel Mills Damon was born in Honolulu on March 13, 1845....
(1841–1924), son of missionary Samuel C. Damon
Samuel C. Damon
Samuel Chenery Damon was a missionary to Hawaii, pastor of the Seamen's Bethel Church, chaplain of the Honolulu American Seamen's Friend Society and editor of the monthly newspaper The Friend.-Early life:...
(1815–1885). Over time the bank grew and became First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii at the First Hawaiian Center. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, which itself is a subsidiary of the French banking company, BNP Paribas...
in 1960.
Service
He served on the Privy Council for five Hawaiian monarchs 1859–1891, and was appointed to the House of Nobles 1859–1886 by King Kamehameha IVKamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho Keawenui , reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.-Early life:...
. From 1869 to 1891 he served on the Board of Education. During the brief reign of King Lunalilo
Lunalilo
Lunalilo, born William Charles Lunalilo , was king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874...
he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 10, 1873 to February 17, 1874.
Bishop was one of the first trustees of and major donor to the Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
, and founder of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Bishop hired William Tufts Brigham
William Tufts Brigham
William Tufts Brigham was an American geologist, botanist, ethnologist and the first director of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu.-Biography:...
, (whom he had met on a scientific visit in 1864 with Horace Mann Jr.
Horace Mann Jr.
-Biography:Horace Mann Jr. was born in Boston on February 25, 1844. He was the son of education reformer Horace Mann. While attending the Lawrence Scientific School he took lessons in zoology with Louis Agassiz and in botany with Asa Gray...
) to be the museum's first director. He also donated funds for buildings at Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
. Bishop was also president of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce 1883–1885 and 1888–1894.
After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Bishop left Hawaii and moved to San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1894. He became vice-president of the Bank of California
Bank of California
The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and considered instrumental in developing the American Old West.-History:The ancestor of...
until he died June 7, 1915. He stayed involved in Hawaiian estate affairs from California. For example, he hired architects Clinton Briggs Ripley
Clinton Briggs Ripley
Clinton Briggs Ripley was an American architect active in Honolulu, Hawaii, from the 1890s until the 1920s. He arrived from California in 1891 at the age of 42, became Commissioner of Patents in 1894, then formed a partnership with a junior but well-connected local architect, C.W...
and Charles William Dickey
Charles William Dickey
Charles William “C.W.” Dickey was an American architect famous for developing a distinctive style of Hawaiian architecture...
to design a new building for the Bishop estate headquarters and Pauahi Hall on the Punahou School campus.
Death
Bishop died in 1915 at the age of 93. His ashes were shipped back and buried next to his wife at the Royal Mausoleum of HawaiiRoyal Mausoleum of Hawaii
The Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, known as Mauna Ala in the Hawaiian language, is the final resting place of Hawaii's two prominent royal families: the Kamehameha Dynasty and the Kalākaua Dynasty.-Description:...
.
Elisha Hunt Allen
Elisha Hunt Allen
Elisha Hunt Allen was an American congressman, lawyer, diplomat, and judge and diplomat for the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Elisha Hunt Allen was born January 28, 1804 in New Salem, Massachusetts. His father was Massachusetts minister, lawyer, and politician Samuel Clesson Allen and mother was Mary...
's son William Fessenden Allen
William Fessenden Allen
William Fessenden Allen was an American businessman in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Republic of Hawaii.-Life:William Fessenden Allen was born December 19, 1831 in Bangor, Maine.His mother was Sarah Elizabeth Fessenden....
married his cousin Cordelia Church.
A major street cutting through Bishop property in downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
at 21°18′32"N 157°51′38"W bears the family name.
See also
- Bernice P. Bishop Museum
- Mid-Pacific InstituteMid-Pacific InstituteMid-Pacific Institute is a private, co-educational college preparatory school for grades Pre-K and K-12, offering programs of study in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and the Mid-Pacific School of the Arts . Mid-Pacific Institute is located on in Mānoa Valley, near the...
- The Queen's Medical CenterThe Queen's Medical CenterThe Queen's Medical Center, originally called Queen's Hospital is an acute private non-profit hospital in downtown Honolulu founded in 1859 by Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV.-Description:...
- Kamehameha SchoolsKamehameha SchoolsKamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
- Punahou SchoolPunahou SchoolPunahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
- First Hawaiian BankFirst Hawaiian BankFirst Hawaiian Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii at the First Hawaiian Center. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, which itself is a subsidiary of the French banking company, BNP Paribas...