William DeWitt Alexander
Encyclopedia
William DeWitt Alexander (April 2, 1833–February 21, 1913) was an educator, author and linguist in the Kingdom of Hawaii
and Republic of Hawaii
.
He then constructed maps for the Territory of Hawaii
.
and mother Mary Ann McKinney. He was named after William Radcliffe DeWitt (1792–1867) a Presbyterian pastor of his mother, who convinced her and her brother Edmund McKinney to become missionaries.
He graduated from Punahou School
in 1849, and traveled to New England
to enroll at Yale
.
He received a BA degree from Yale
in 1855 as Salutatorian
, a Master of Arts in 1858, and was a member of Skull and Bones
. He returned to Hawaii and joined the faculty of Punahou School as a professor of Greek and history.
He married Abigail Charlotte Baldwin (1833–1913), daughter of missionary Dwight Baldwin
in 1861.
He became the fourth president of Punahou (then called Oahu College) in the summer of 1864, replacing Cyrus T. Mills. Mills and his wife Susan Tolman Mills
then founded Mills College
.
During this time Alexander published books on Hawaiian history and the Hawaiian language
.
His younger brother Samuel Thomas Alexander
founded Alexander & Baldwin
with his wife's brother Henry Perrine Baldwin
. The swimming pool and athletic field at the school are named for Alexander family members.
In spring 1871 Alexander became Royal Surveyor-General, and Edward Payson Church replaced him as president of Punahou.
On November 6, 1874 he was appointed to the Board of education, and then in 1896 Commissioner of Public Instruction.
After Hawaii was annexed into the United States
in 1898, Alexander was surveyor of the Territory of Hawaii
.
He assisted the U.S. National Geodetic Survey
mapping the islands. He was a founding member of the Hawaiian Historical Society (during its second incarnation in 1893) and served as its first corresponding seretary. He wrote many articles for its journal.
Yale awarded him an honorary Doctor of law
s degree in 1903.
He died February 21, 1913 at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. He and his wife are buried in the cemetery at Kawaiahaʻo Church, across the street from where he was born.
Daughter Mary Charlotte Alexander (1874–1961) wrote a biography of both her grandfathers and a history of Hawaii.
Daughter Agnes Baldwin Alexander
(1875–1971) became a follower of the Bahá'í Faith
and author. She learned the Esperanto
language and moved to Japan
.
He had sons William Douglas Alexander (1861–1936), Arthur Chambers Alexander (1863–1954), and Henry Edward Mansfield Alexander (June 10, 1868—August 22, 1900).
William Douglas (sometimes called W.D. Alexander Jr.), was in San Francisco during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
. He survived with only a few important papers stuffed in his coat.
Arthur became a professor of Physics
at the University of California, Berkeley
and authored his own textbook.
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...
and Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
.
He then constructed maps for the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
.
Life
Alexander was born in Honolulu April 2, 1833. His father was missionary William Patterson AlexanderWilliam Patterson Alexander
William Patterson Alexander was an American missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. His family continued to influence the history of Hawaii.-Life:...
and mother Mary Ann McKinney. He was named after William Radcliffe DeWitt (1792–1867) a Presbyterian pastor of his mother, who convinced her and her brother Edmund McKinney to become missionaries.
He graduated from 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...
in 1849, and traveled to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to enroll at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
.
He received a BA degree from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1855 as Salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
, a Master of Arts in 1858, and was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He returned to Hawaii and joined the faculty of Punahou School as a professor of Greek and history.
He married Abigail Charlotte Baldwin (1833–1913), daughter of missionary Dwight Baldwin
Dwight Baldwin (missionary)
Dwight Baldwin was an American Christian missionary and physician on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands, during the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that founded some of the largest businesses in the islands.-Life:...
in 1861.
He became the fourth president of Punahou (then called Oahu College) in the summer of 1864, replacing Cyrus T. Mills. Mills and his wife Susan Tolman Mills
Susan Tolman Mills
Susan Tolman Mills was the co-founder of Mills College .-Background:...
then founded Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
.
During this time Alexander published books on Hawaiian history and 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...
.
His younger brother Samuel Thomas Alexander
Samuel Thomas Alexander
Samuel Thomas Alexander co-founded a major agricultural and transportation business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Early life:In November 1831, the Reverend William Patterson Alexander and Mary Ann McKinney Alexander arrived in April 1832 as missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands...
founded Alexander & Baldwin
Alexander & Baldwin
Following World War II, the company entered a new business: land development and real estate. The company formed a new subsidiary, the Kahului Development Co., to develop housing in the Kahului area. In the following years, the company became more involved in the development of its land and the...
with his wife's brother Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the "Big Five" corporations that dominated the economy of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Henry Perrine...
. The swimming pool and athletic field at the school are named for Alexander family members.
In spring 1871 Alexander became Royal Surveyor-General, and Edward Payson Church replaced him as president of Punahou.
On November 6, 1874 he was appointed to the Board of education, and then in 1896 Commissioner of Public Instruction.
After Hawaii was annexed into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1898, Alexander was surveyor of the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
.
He assisted the U.S. National Geodetic Survey
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
mapping the islands. He was a founding member of the Hawaiian Historical Society (during its second incarnation in 1893) and served as its first corresponding seretary. He wrote many articles for its journal.
Yale awarded him an honorary Doctor of law
Doctor of law
Doctor of Law or Doctor of Laws is a doctoral degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country, and includes degrees such as the LL.D., Ph.D., J.D., J.S.D., and Dr. iur.-Argentina:...
s degree in 1903.
He died February 21, 1913 at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. He and his wife are buried in the cemetery at Kawaiahaʻo Church, across the street from where he was born.
Daughter Mary Charlotte Alexander (1874–1961) wrote a biography of both her grandfathers and a history of Hawaii.
Daughter Agnes Baldwin Alexander
Agnes Baldwin Alexander
Agnes Baldwin Alexander was an American author and leader of the Bahá'í Faith.-Life:Agnes Baldwin Alexander was born July 21, 1875 in Honolulu when it was the Kingdom of Hawaii. Her father was educator William DeWitt Alexander and mother was Abigail Charlotte Baldwin...
(1875–1971) became a follower of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
and author. She learned the Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
language and moved to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
He had sons William Douglas Alexander (1861–1936), Arthur Chambers Alexander (1863–1954), and Henry Edward Mansfield Alexander (June 10, 1868—August 22, 1900).
William Douglas (sometimes called W.D. Alexander Jr.), was in San Francisco during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. He survived with only a few important papers stuffed in his coat.
Arthur became a professor of Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and authored his own textbook.