The governor of Hawaii Island () was the royal governor or viceroy of the Island of Hawaii during the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Governor of Hawaii was usually a Hawaiian chief or prince and could even be a woman. There were no restriction of women in government in the House of Nobles or the Governorship of the islands. The Governor had authority over the island of Hawaii, the biggest island in the kingdom, and it was up to the governor to appoint lieutenant governors to assist them. The governor had replaced the old Aliʻis of the islands, but sovereignty remained with the king. The island governors were under the jurisdiction of the Ministers of the Interior.
Role The 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii states:
Abolition After King Kalākaua was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution in 1887, the island governorships began to be viewed as wasteful expenses for the monarchy. The governors and governesses at the time (who were mainly royals or nobles) were also viewed as unfit to appoint the native police forces and condemned for "their refusal to accept their removal or reform by sheriffs or the marshal". The island governorships were abolished by two acts: the first act, on December 8, 1887, transferred the power of the police appointment to the island sheriffs, and the second, An Act To Abolish The Office Of Governor, which officially abolished the positions, on August 23, 1888. King Kalākaua refused to approve the 1888 act, but his veto was overridden by two-thirds of the legislature. These positions were restored under the An Act To Establish A Governor On Each Of The Islands Of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai on November 14, 1890, with the effective date of January 1, 1891. One significant change was that this act made it illegal for a woman to be governor ending the traditional practice of appointing female royals and nobles as governesses. Kalākaua died before reappointing any of the island governors, but his successor Liliuokalani restored the positions at different dates between 1891 and 1892. After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Provisional Government of Hawaii repealed the 1890 act and abolished these positions on February 28, 1893 for the final time.
List of governors of Hawaii Island Name Picture Birth Death Assumed office Left office Notes Monarch Direct rule by King Kamehameha I. Mokuhia Appointed but assassinated soon after Kamehameha I John Young Olohana c. 1742 December 17, 1835 c. 1802 c. 1812 Kamehameha I Direct rule by King Kamehameha I, later Queen Kaahumanu and King Kamehameha II. John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini c. 1789 December 9, 1844 c. 1820 April 1, 1831 Kamehameha III Kamehameha II Naihe ? December 29, 1831 April 1, 1831 December 29, 1831 acting Kamehameha III John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini c. 1789 December 9, 1844 c. 1833? December 9, 1844 11 Kamehameha III William Pitt Leleiohoku I March 31, 1821 October 21, 1848 December 9, 1844 c. 1846 Kamehameha III George Luther Kapeau ? October, 1860 c. 1846 c. 1855 acting until July 1850deputy was J. M. Kapena Kamehameha III Ruth Keʻelikōlani February 9, 1826 May 24, 1883 January 15, 1855 c. 1874 Lt. Governor was Rufus Anderson Lyman Kamehameha IV Kamehameha V Lunalilo Samuel Kipi May 4, 1825 March 11, 1879 March 2, 1874 March 11, 1879 Died in office Kalākaua Likelike January 13, 1851 February 2, 1887 March 29, 1879 c. 1880 Kalākaua Victoria Kūhiō Kinoiki Kekaulike II May 12, 1843 January 18, 1884 September 2, 1880 January 8, 1884 Kalākaua Virginia Kapooloku Poomaikelani April 7, 1839 October 2, 1895 January 21, 1884 c. 1886 Kalākaua Ululani Lewai Baker c. 1858 October 5, 1902 October 15, 1886 August 23, 1888 Kalākaua Interregnum John Tamatoa Baker c. 1852 September 7, 1921 February 8, 1892 February 28, 1893 husband of Governor Ululani BakerLiliuokalani
See also List of governors of Hawaii Governors of Oahu Governors of Kauai Governors of Maui Aliʻi nui of Hawaii Mayor of Hawaii County
References