Kamehameha IV
Encyclopedia
Kamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho Keawenui (1834–1863), reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of Hawaii
from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.
. His father was High Chief Mataio Kekūanāoa
, Royal Governor of Oahu. His mother was Princess Elizabeth Kīnau
the Kuhina Nui
or Prime Minister of the Kingdom. He was the grandson of Kamehameha I
, first monarch of all the islands. As a toddler, Alexander was adopted by his uncle, King Kamehameha III
who decreed Alexander heir to the throne and raised him as the crown prince
.
. When he was 14 he left the Royal School and went to law school. When he was 15, he went on a government trip to England, the United States, and Panama. Liholiho was able to record the events of his trip in a journal.
A diplomatic mission was planned following Admiral de Tromelin
's 1849 attack on the fort of Honolulu
, the result of French claims stemming back twenty years to the expulsion of Catholic missionaries. Contention surrounded three issues: regulations of Catholic schools, high taxes on French brandy, and the use of French language in transactions with the consul and citizens of France. Although this struggle had gone on for many years, the Hawaiian king finally sent Gerrit P. Judd
to try for the second time to negotiate a treaty with France. Envoys Haalilio
and William Richards
had gone on the same mission in 1842 and returned with only a weak joint declaration. It was hoped the treaty would secure the islands against future attacks such as the one it had just suffered at the hands of Admiral de Tromelin. Advisors to Kamehameha III thought it best that the heir apparent, Alexander, and his brother, Lot, would benefit from the travel.
With the supervision of their guardian Dr. Judd, Alexander and his brother sailed to San Francisco in September 1849. After their tour of California
, they continued on to Panama
, Jamaica
, New York
and Washington, D.C.
They toured Europe
and met with various heads of state. Speaking both French and English, Alexander was well received in European society. He met president of France Louis Napoleon. Sixteen year old Alexander Liholiho described a reception given at the Tuileries by:
Failing to negotiate a treaty with France during three months in Paris, the princes and Judd returned to England. They met Prince Albert, Lord Palmerston, and numerous other members of British aristocracy. They had an audience with Prince Albert since Queen Victoria was retired from public view, awaiting the birth of her seventh child, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.
Prince Alexander accounted:
In May 1850, the royal brothers, Prince Albert of England and others boarded a ship in England
and sailed to the United States of America for a more extensive stay before returning. He experienced American racism firsthand when he was almost removed from his train car for being a "nigger". The prince had preceded Dr. Judd and Prince Lot in occupying the compartment reserved for them for a return trip to New York and someone had arrived at the door of the compartment and questioned Alexander's right to be there. The young prince wrote in his journal, (remarkable for a sixteen-year-old):
At a dinner party in New York with friends of Judd, the princes were again exposed to a racist incident. Helen Kinau Wilder recalled in her memoirs:
These displays of prejudice in the United States and the puritanical views of American missionaries probably influenced his slightly anti-American point of view, along with that of the rest of the royal family. Judd later wrote about him: "educated by the Mission, most of all things dislikes the Mission. Having been compelled to be good when a boy, he is determined not to be good as a man."
of Kamehameha III in 1852. He had the opportunity to gain administrative experience that he would one day employ as King. During his term he also studied foreign languages and became accustomed to traditional European social norms.
Kamehameha III died on December 15, 1854.
On January 11, 1855 Alexander took the oath as King Kamehameha IV, succeeding his uncle when he was only 20 years old.
Initially he kept the cabinet of his uncle: Robert Crichton Wyllie
as minister of foreign relations,
Keoni Ana
(John Young II) as minister of the interior, Elisha Hunt Allen
as minister of finance, and Richard Armstrong as minister of education. William Little Lee
served as chief justice, until he was sent on a diplomatic mission and then died in 1857. Allen became chief justice, and David L. Gregg became minister of finance. After Keoni Ana died, his brother Prince Lot was minister of the interior.
as his queen. Queen Emma was the granddaughter of John Young
, Kamehameha the Great's British royal advisor and companion. She also was Kamehameha's great-grandniece. On the day of their wedding, he forgot their wedding ring. Chief Justice Elisha Hunt Allen
quickily slipped his own gold ring to the king and the ceremony continued.
After marrying in 1856, the royal couple had their only child in May 1858, named Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa a Kamehameha
. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
was Prince Albert's godmother (by proxy) at his christening in Honolulu.
Alexander Liholiho thought he was responsible for the death of Prince Albert because he gave him a cold shower to "cool him off" when Albert wanted something he could not have. His ailing health worsened.
At the age of four, the young prince died on August 27, 1862.
Wyllie sponsored a fancy dress ball in 1860. Even the Catholic bishop came, dressed as a bishop. Kamehameha IV's father Kekūanāoa came in Scottish highland dress, music was provided by German musicians, and the food by a French chef. Emma came as the earth goddess Cybele
. The conservative American missionaries did not approve, especially of the dancing.
In August 1861 he issued a declaration of neutrality in the American Civil War
.
and other Europe
an governments, but his reign did not survive long enough to make them.
In 1862 he translated the Book of Common Prayer
into the Hawaiian language
.
for their subjects. They were concerned that foreign ailments and diseases like leprosy
and influenza
were decimating the native Hawaiian population. In 1855, Alexander addressed his legislature to promote an ambitious public healthcare agenda that included the building of public hospitals and homes for the elderly. The legislature
, empowered by the Constitution of 1852
which limited the King's authority, struck down the healthcare plan.
Alexander and Queen Emma responded to the legislature's refusal by lobbying local businessmen, merchants and wealthy residents to fund their healthcare agenda. The fundraising was an overwhelming success and the royal couple built The Queen's Medical Center
, one of the most technologically advanced medical centers in the world today. The fundraising efforts also yielded separate funds for the development of a leprosy treatment facility built on the island of Maui
.
In 1856, Kamehameha IV decreed that December 25 would be celebrated as the kingdom's national day of Thanksgiving
, accepting the persuasions of the conservative American missionaries who objected to Christmas
on the grounds that it was a pagan celebration. Six years later, he would rescind his decree and formally proclaim Christmas as a national holiday
of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The first Christmas tree
would come into the islands during his brother's reign.
Under his eight year reign the Kingdom saw the many territory additions. Laysan Island
was annexed in May 1, 1857, Lisianski Island
was annexed in May 10, 1857, and Palmyra Atoll
was annexed in April 15, 1862. Some residents of Sikaiana
near the Solomon Islands
believe their island was annexed by Kamehameha IV to Hawaii in 1856 (or 1855). Some maintain that through this annexation, Sikaiana has subsequently become part of the United States of America through the 1898 annexation of "Hawaii and its dependencies". The U.S. disagrees.
on November 30, 1863 and was succeeded by his brother, who took the name Kamehameha V
. Alexander was only 29 years old. The natives believed that the King had died as punishment because his people had betrayed their gods. At his funeral eight hundred children and teachers walked to say goodbye. He was buried with his son at Mauna Ala on February 3, 1864.
Queen Emma remained active in politics. With the end of the Kamehameha dynasty
and King William C. Lunalilo dying without an heir of his own, Queen Emma ran unsuccessfully to become the Kingdom's ruling monarch. She lost to David Kalākaua
who would establish a dynasty of his own — the last to rule Hawaii.
Alexander (as Kamehameha IV) and Emma are honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on November 28 called the Feast of the Holy Sovereigns
.
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...
from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.
Early life
Alexander was born on February 9, 1834 in Honolulu on the island of OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. His father was High Chief Mataio Kekūanāoa
Mataio Kekuanaoa
Mataio Kekūanāoa was descended from the high chiefs of the island of Oahu. His name Mataio was the Hawaiian form of Matthew, although the former remain the most common form used to referred to him....
, Royal Governor of Oahu. His mother was Princess Elizabeth Kīnau
Kaahumanu II
Princess Kalani Ahumanu i Kaliko o Iwi Kauhipua o Kīnau, also known as Elizabeth Kīnau was Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom of Hawaii as Kaahumanu II, Queen regent and Dowager Queen.-Life:...
the Kuhina Nui
Kuhina Nui
Kuhina Nui was a powerful office in the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1819 to 1864. It was usually held by a relative of the king and was the rough equivalent of the 19th century European office of Prime Minister or sometimes Regent.- Origin of the office :...
or Prime Minister of the Kingdom. He was the grandson of Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
, first monarch of all the islands. As a toddler, Alexander was adopted by his uncle, King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
who decreed Alexander heir to the throne and raised him as the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
.
Education and Travel
Alexander Liholiho was educated by Calvinist missionaries Amos and Juliette Cooke at the Chiefs' Children's School (later known as Royal School) in Honolulu. He was accompanied by 30 attendants (kahu) when he arrived, but they were sent home and for the first time Liholiho was on his own. Alexander Liholiho played the flute and the piano, and enjoyed singing, acting, and cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. When he was 14 he left the Royal School and went to law school. When he was 15, he went on a government trip to England, the United States, and Panama. Liholiho was able to record the events of his trip in a journal.
A diplomatic mission was planned following Admiral de Tromelin
Louis Tromelin
Louis-François-Marie-Nicolas Le Goarant de Tromelin was a nineteenth-century French Naval captain, sent to the Pacific Ocean on political and military missions, and credited with the discovery of Phoenix Island in the Phoenix group and Fais Island in the Carolines...
's 1849 attack on the fort of Honolulu
French Invasion of Honolulu
The French Invasion of Honolulu was an attack on Honolulu by Louis Tromelin for the persecution of Catholics and repression on French trade.-Prelude:...
, the result of French claims stemming back twenty years to the expulsion of Catholic missionaries. Contention surrounded three issues: regulations of Catholic schools, high taxes on French brandy, and the use of French language in transactions with the consul and citizens of France. Although this struggle had gone on for many years, the Hawaiian king finally sent Gerrit P. Judd
Gerrit P. Judd
Gerrit Parmele Judd was an American physician and missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii who later became a trusted advisor and cabinet minister to King Kamehameha III.- Life :...
to try for the second time to negotiate a treaty with France. Envoys Haalilio
Timothy Haalilio
Timoteo or Timothy Kamalehua Haalilio was a royal secretary and first diplomat of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Haalilio was born early in the 19th century, probably 1808. He was the son Haalou, the governor of Molokai, and his wife Kipa. He was the elder brother of Levi Haalelea, husband of...
and William Richards
William Richards (Hawaii)
William Richards was a missionary and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Family life:William Richards was born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1793. His father was James Richards and mother was Lydia Shaw. He was schooled under Moses Hallock in Plainfield, attended Williams College...
had gone on the same mission in 1842 and returned with only a weak joint declaration. It was hoped the treaty would secure the islands against future attacks such as the one it had just suffered at the hands of Admiral de Tromelin. Advisors to Kamehameha III thought it best that the heir apparent, Alexander, and his brother, Lot, would benefit from the travel.
With the supervision of their guardian Dr. Judd, Alexander and his brother sailed to San Francisco in September 1849. After their tour of 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...
, they continued on to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, 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...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
They toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and met with various heads of state. Speaking both French and English, Alexander was well received in European society. He met president of France Louis Napoleon. Sixteen year old Alexander Liholiho described a reception given at the Tuileries by:
"General La Hitte piloted us through the immense crowd that was pressing on from all sides, and finally we made our way to the president...Mr. Judd was the first one taken notice of, and both of them made slight bows to each other. Lot and myself then bowed, to which the (Louis Napoleon) returned with a slight bend of the vertebras. he then advanced and said, "This is your first visit to Paris, to which we replied in the affirmative. He asked us if we liked Paris to which we replied, very much, indeed. He then said, I am very gratified to see you, you having come from so far a country, he then turned towards the doctor and said, I hope our little quarrel will be settled. to which the Doctor replied. "We put much confidence in the magnanimity and Justice of France."
Failing to negotiate a treaty with France during three months in Paris, the princes and Judd returned to England. They met Prince Albert, Lord Palmerston, and numerous other members of British aristocracy. They had an audience with Prince Albert since Queen Victoria was retired from public view, awaiting the birth of her seventh child, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.
Prince Alexander accounted:
"When we entered, the prince was standing a little aside of the door, and bowed to each of us as we came in. He was a fine man, about as tall as I am, and had a very fine bust, and straight legs. We kept standing, Palmerston on my right, and the doctor on my left, and then Lot. the prince began the conversation by asking if we intended to make a long stay (in London) to which I answered by saying that we expected to leave in about a week and then Mr. Judd made a few remarks on his business."
In May 1850, the royal brothers, Prince Albert of England and others boarded a ship in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and sailed to the United States of America for a more extensive stay before returning. He experienced American racism firsthand when he was almost removed from his train car for being a "nigger". The prince had preceded Dr. Judd and Prince Lot in occupying the compartment reserved for them for a return trip to New York and someone had arrived at the door of the compartment and questioned Alexander's right to be there. The young prince wrote in his journal, (remarkable for a sixteen-year-old):
"I found he was the conductor, and took me for somebody's servant just because I had a darker skin than he had. Confounded fool;. the first time that I have ever received such treatment, not in England or France or anywhere else........In England an African can pay his fare and sit alongside Queen Victoria. The Americans talk and think a great deal about their liberty, and strangers often find that too many liberties are taken of their comfort just because his hosts are a free people."
In Geneva (New York), visiting friends, the butler was very averse to serving "blacks" as he called them, and revenged himself by putting bibs at their places. Alexander unfolded his, saw the unusual shape, but as he had seen many strange things on his travels concluded that must be something new, so quietly fitted the place cut out for the neck to his waist. their hostess was very angry when she found what a mean trick her servant had played on them.
These displays of prejudice in the United States and the puritanical views of American missionaries probably influenced his slightly anti-American point of view, along with that of the rest of the royal family. Judd later wrote about him: "educated by the Mission, most of all things dislikes the Mission. Having been compelled to be good when a boy, he is determined not to be good as a man."
Succession
Upon his return Alexander was appointed to the Privy Council and House of NoblesHouse of Nobles
House of Nobles can mean:* House of Nobles - a political institution in the Kingdom of Hawaii, part of the Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom*House of Nobles - an alternate name for the House of Knights, a corporation of the Swedish nobility...
of Kamehameha III in 1852. He had the opportunity to gain administrative experience that he would one day employ as King. During his term he also studied foreign languages and became accustomed to traditional European social norms.
Kamehameha III died on December 15, 1854.
On January 11, 1855 Alexander took the oath as King Kamehameha IV, succeeding his uncle when he was only 20 years old.
Initially he kept the cabinet of his uncle: Robert Crichton Wyllie
Robert Crichton Wyllie
Robert Crichton Wyllie was a Scottish physician and businessman. He also served two decades as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Early life:...
as minister of foreign relations,
Keoni Ana
Keoni Ana
John Kaleipaihala Young II sometimes called Keoni Ana Opio was a politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, serving as Kuhina Nui of the Hawaiian Islands and Minister of Interior.-Early life:...
(John Young II) as minister of the interior, 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...
as minister of finance, and Richard Armstrong as minister of education. 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:...
served as chief justice, until he was sent on a diplomatic mission and then died in 1857. Allen became chief justice, and David L. Gregg became minister of finance. After Keoni Ana died, his brother Prince Lot was minister of the interior.
Queen Emma and Prince Albert
Only a year after assuming the throne, Alexander took the hand of Emma RookeQueen Emma of Hawaii
Queen Consort Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonālani Naea Rooke of Hawaii was queen consort of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She ran for ruling monarch against King David Kalākaua but was defeated....
as his queen. Queen Emma was the granddaughter of John Young
John Young (Hawaii)
John Young was a British subject who became an important military advisor to Kamehameha I during the formation of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was left behind by Simon Metcalfe, captain of the American ship Eleanora, and along with a Welshmen Isaac Davis became a friend and advisor to Kamehameha...
, Kamehameha the Great's British royal advisor and companion. She also was Kamehameha's great-grandniece. On the day of their wedding, he forgot their wedding ring. Chief Justice 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...
quickily slipped his own gold ring to the king and the ceremony continued.
After marrying in 1856, the royal couple had their only child in May 1858, named Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa a Kamehameha
Albert Kamehameha
Prince Albert Kamehameha, formally Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa a Kamehameha , was the only son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, who during his short life was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
was Prince Albert's godmother (by proxy) at his christening in Honolulu.
Alexander Liholiho thought he was responsible for the death of Prince Albert because he gave him a cold shower to "cool him off" when Albert wanted something he could not have. His ailing health worsened.
At the age of four, the young prince died on August 27, 1862.
Reign
On September 11, 1859 he shot his secretary Henry A. Neilson, who died two years later.Wyllie sponsored a fancy dress ball in 1860. Even the Catholic bishop came, dressed as a bishop. Kamehameha IV's father Kekūanāoa came in Scottish highland dress, music was provided by German musicians, and the food by a French chef. Emma came as the earth goddess Cybele
Cybele
Cybele , was a Phrygian form of the Earth Mother or Great Mother. As with Greek Gaia , her Minoan equivalent Rhea and some aspects of Demeter, Cybele embodies the fertile Earth...
. The conservative American missionaries did not approve, especially of the dancing.
In August 1861 he issued a declaration of neutrality in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Resisting American influence
At the time of Alexander's assumption to the throne, the American population in the Hawaiian islands continued to grow and exert economic and political pressure in the Kingdom. Alexander worried that the United States of America would make a move to conquer his nation; an annexation treaty was proposed in Kamehameha III's reign. He strongly felt that annexation would mean the end of the monarchy and the Hawaiian people. Liholiho instead wanted a reciprocity treaty, involving trade and taxes, between the United States and Hawaii. He was not successful. In an effort to balance the amount of influence exerted by American interests, Alexander began a campaign to limit Hawaii's dependence on American trade and commerce. He sought deals with the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and other Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an governments, but his reign did not survive long enough to make them.
In 1862 he translated the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
into the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
.
Legacy
Alexander and Queen Emma devoted much of their reign to providing quality healthcare and educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
for their subjects. They were concerned that foreign ailments and diseases like leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
and influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
were decimating the native Hawaiian population. In 1855, Alexander addressed his legislature to promote an ambitious public healthcare agenda that included the building of public hospitals and homes for the elderly. The legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
, empowered by the Constitution of 1852
1852 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii
The Constitution of 1852 served as the Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1852 through 1864. It was passed during the reign of King Kamehameha III...
which limited the King's authority, struck down the healthcare plan.
Alexander and Queen Emma responded to the legislature's refusal by lobbying local businessmen, merchants and wealthy residents to fund their healthcare agenda. The fundraising was an overwhelming success and the royal couple built The Queen's Medical Center
The Queen's Medical Center
The 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:...
, one of the most technologically advanced medical centers in the world today. The fundraising efforts also yielded separate funds for the development of a leprosy treatment facility built on the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
.
In 1856, Kamehameha IV decreed that December 25 would be celebrated as the kingdom's national day of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, accepting the persuasions of the conservative American missionaries who objected to Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
on the grounds that it was a pagan celebration. Six years later, he would rescind his decree and formally proclaim Christmas as a national holiday
National holiday
National holiday may refer to:*A National Day, in which a country celebrates its independence, establishment or an otherwise significant event....
of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The first Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
would come into the islands during his brother's reign.
Under his eight year reign the Kingdom saw the many territory additions. Laysan Island
Laysan
Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...
was annexed in May 1, 1857, Lisianski Island
Lisianski Island
Lisianski Island is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, with a land area of and a maximum elevation of above sea level. Honolulu is away, to the southeast. Linked to Lisianski are the extensive Neva Shoals...
was annexed in May 10, 1857, and Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll is an essentially unoccupied equatorial Northern Pacific atoll administered as an unorganized incorporated territory by the United States federal government...
was annexed in April 15, 1862. Some residents of Sikaiana
Sikaiana
Sikaiana formerly called Stewart Islands is a small atoll 212 km NE of Malaita. It is almost 14 km in length and its lagoon, known as Te Moana, is totally enclosed by the coral reef. Its total land surface is only 2 km2...
near the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
believe their island was annexed by Kamehameha IV to Hawaii in 1856 (or 1855). Some maintain that through this annexation, Sikaiana has subsequently become part of the United States of America through the 1898 annexation of "Hawaii and its dependencies". The U.S. disagrees.
End of reign
Alexander died of chronic asthmaAsthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
on November 30, 1863 and was succeeded by his brother, who took the name Kamehameha V
Kamehameha V
aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...
. Alexander was only 29 years old. The natives believed that the King had died as punishment because his people had betrayed their gods. At his funeral eight hundred children and teachers walked to say goodbye. He was buried with his son at Mauna Ala on February 3, 1864.
Queen Emma remained active in politics. With the end of the Kamehameha dynasty
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...
and King William C. Lunalilo dying without an heir of his own, Queen Emma ran unsuccessfully to become the Kingdom's ruling monarch. She lost to David Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
who would establish a dynasty of his own — the last to rule Hawaii.
Alexander (as Kamehameha IV) and Emma are honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on November 28 called the Feast of the Holy Sovereigns
Feast of the Holy Sovereigns
The Feast of the Holy Sovereigns is celebrated annually in the Episcopal Church in Hawaii on November 28. The feast celebrates the founders of the Anglican Church of Hawaii, King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma of Hawaii...
.