Richard Henry Stanley was an American lawyer who served as politician and cabinet member 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...

.

Life

Stanley was born circa 1823.
On February 4, 1861 he became a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 1869, he was hired with R. G. Davis by Henry E. Pierce to argue that he was legally the son of American diplomat 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:...

.
He was involved in several land claims, and became commissioner of crown lands in 1874.
In the 1874 sessions he was in 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...

 in the House of Nobles.
This was a special session to elect a new king after the death of Lunalilo

Lunalilo

Lunalilo, born William Charles Lunalilo , was king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874...

 after a reign of only one year. Stanley acted of secretary of this meeting in February 1874.

He was appointed Attorney General

Attorney General of Hawaii

The Attorney General of Hawaii is the chief legal and law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, he or she is appointed by the elected governor with the approval of the state senate and is responsible for a state department charged with advising the...

 on May 28, 1874 by King 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...

, and replaced Alfred S. Hartwell

Alfred S. Hartwell

Alfred Stedman Hartwell was a lawyer and American Civil War soldier, who then had another career as cabinet minister and judge in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Alfred Stedman Hartwell was born June 11, 1836 in South Natick, Massachusetts...

.

He died November 5, 1875. John S. Walker who was minister of finance, acted as attorney general until William Richards Castle

William Richards Castle

William Richards Castle was a lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Republic of Hawaii.-Family:William Richards Castle was born in Honolulu March 19, 1849. His father was Samuel Northrup Castle , and mother was Mary Tenney . He was a namesake of William Richards who drafted the first...

 was appointed on February 15, 1876.
One of his law partners, Edward Preston

Edward Preston

Edward Preston was a lawyer and judge originally from England who served in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Edward Preston was born 17 February 1831 in London, England....

(1831–1890), would also later become attorney general.