George Rodiek
Encyclopedia
George Rodiek was one of the defendants in the Hindu German Conspiracy Trial
, in San Francisco, 1918.
A former Bremen
tobacco
clerk, Rodiek migrated to Hawaii
and took up a position with Hackfeld & Co in 1891. He became a naturalised United States
citizen. In 1896 opened the Hilo branch of the company, and became a director in 1900. He had six children.
In 1903 he built the Walker Estate
, in the upper Nuuanu Valley. Originally this was a two-story home with a series of gardens featuring ferns, rocks, and orchards generally regarded as the oldest formal Japanese garden
in Honolulu.
He was active in the community and by 1916 he was president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
. He was also a Shriner and helped organise the Army-Navy YMCA
. In 1917 he was made German Consul. Several German ships were seized by the Hawaiian authorities when their crews prepared to wreck engineering and navigation equipment, fearing a declaration of war. His attempts to have them released were backed up by the Secretary of State, but the Territorial Governor had not released them by the time war was declared.
His secretary was involved in meeting the SS Maverick
during the Annie Larsen plot to send arms to revolutionaries opposing the British Empire
in India as part of the Indo-German Conspiracy. Rodiek was later arrested when travelling through San Francisco. He originally pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty of a single Neutrality Act violation. He claimed the matter was simply a business transaction and that he had maintained his loyalty to his adopted country. But before the sentencing, a German naval officer's diary was seized, which placed the Honolulu consulate in an incriminating light. Rodiek was found guilty, and fined $10,000. He subsequently received a presidential pardon, but sold his house and moved to San Francisco.
Hindu German Conspiracy Trial
The Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial commenced in the District Court in San Francisco, California on November 12, 1917 following the uncovering of the Indo German plot for initiating a revolt in India...
, in San Francisco, 1918.
A former Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
clerk, Rodiek migrated to Hawaii
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...
and took up a position with Hackfeld & Co in 1891. He became a naturalised United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen. In 1896 opened the Hilo branch of the company, and became a director in 1900. He had six children.
In 1903 he built the Walker Estate
Walker Estate
The H. Alexander Walker Residence or Walker Estate is a historic home located in the upper Nuuanu Valley of Honolulu, Hawaii.-History:The house was built in 1903 by George Rodiek of Hackfield and Company, a naturalised German immigrant...
, in the upper Nuuanu Valley. Originally this was a two-story home with a series of gardens featuring ferns, rocks, and orchards generally regarded as the oldest formal Japanese garden
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
in Honolulu.
He was active in the community and by 1916 he was president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
Founded in 1895, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association was an unincorporated, voluntary organization of sugar plantation owners in the Hawaiian Islands. Its objective was to promote the mutual benefits of its members and the development of the sugar industry in the islands. It conducted...
. He was also a Shriner and helped organise the Army-Navy YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. In 1917 he was made German Consul. Several German ships were seized by the Hawaiian authorities when their crews prepared to wreck engineering and navigation equipment, fearing a declaration of war. His attempts to have them released were backed up by the Secretary of State, but the Territorial Governor had not released them by the time war was declared.
His secretary was involved in meeting the SS Maverick
SS Maverick
SS Maverick was an oil tanker built in 1890 for the Standard Oil of New York, later Mobil Oil. After the ship had changed hands sometime between 1910 and 1915, it was used during World War I as part of the Hindu–German Conspiracy to foment rebellion in India and overthrow the British Raj...
during the Annie Larsen plot to send arms to revolutionaries opposing the British Empire
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India as part of the Indo-German Conspiracy. Rodiek was later arrested when travelling through San Francisco. He originally pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty of a single Neutrality Act violation. He claimed the matter was simply a business transaction and that he had maintained his loyalty to his adopted country. But before the sentencing, a German naval officer's diary was seized, which placed the Honolulu consulate in an incriminating light. Rodiek was found guilty, and fined $10,000. He subsequently received a presidential pardon, but sold his house and moved to San Francisco.