Hawaii Business Phonebook(tm)
Hawaii's History
No one yet knows when Hawaii was first inhabited. It was long believed that
the Polynesians first arrived in Hawaii from Tahiti around 1000 A.D., but new
discoveries have suggested that the true date may be close to the 5th century
A.D. or even earlier.
Researchers believe that the Polynesians who conquered the Pacific in
their double-hulled canoes came originally from Southeast Asia. Tahiti is
thought to be one center of Polynesian development, but there is evidence
indicating that Hawaii was first settled from the Marquises. Regardless, to
those familiar with the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean, the seamanship of
the Polynesians is a feat of staggering proportions.
CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
Hawaii was "discovered" by the western world in 1778, when British Captain
James Cook sighted Oahu and first landed on Kauai. Cook named the archipelago
the Sandwich Islands, after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich, and for many
years the islands were so known in the western world. On Sunday, February,
14 1779, Cook was slain in a fight with the Hawaiians at Kealakekua on
the Island of Hawaii.
KAMEHAMEHA THE GREAT
At the time of Cook's arrival each island was ruled as an independent kingdom
by hereditary chiefs. One such chief, Kamehameha, consolidated his power
on the island of Hawaii in a series of battles, about 1790, and then conquered
Maui and Oahu. By the time of his death in 18 I 9, Kamehameha I had united
the islands under his rule and had established the Kingdom of Hawaii which
survived until 1893.
MISSIONARIES ARRIVE IN 1820
In 1820, the first American missionaries arrived from New England. Not
only did they bring Christianity to a people becoming disillusioned with
their ancient gods, but they represented the first of several migrations
which led 'to the cosmopolitan character of Hawaii's people today. In the
years since Cook's arrival, Hawaii had become a haven for vessels and had
opened a trade in sandalwood with China, profitable for the King and the
chiefs, but a burden on the people who had to gather the wood. The introduction
of western diseases and liquor, and a breakdown of the ancient morality,
had created a chaotic situation. The missionaries gained great success
because they aligned themselves with the chiefs against some of these evils.
KAMEHAMEHA II AND III
Kamehameha's eldest son, Liholiho, took the title of Kamehameha II. His
short reign was noted for the official demise of the old religion and the
breakdown of ancient taboos. Liholiho and his queen both died of measles
within a few days of each other while visiting London in 1824. Another
son of Kamehameha, Kauikeaouli, was proclaimed King with the title of Kamehameha
III. During his 30-year reign, many hazards to the little kingdom were
surmounted, and its independence recognized by the great powers: France,
Britain and the United States. In his reign, a semi- feudal inheritance
was gradually transformed into a constitutional monarchy. Among notable
events during this reign were the opening of Lahainaluna School on Maui
in 1831, the oldest high school west of the Rocky Mountain ; the establishment
of Kauai of the first permanent sugar plantation in 1836; the publication
of the first newspaper in the Pacific area ( 1834) and the 'publication
of the first English language newspaper ( 1836); the proclamation of a
Constitution (1840); the publication of the first school laws ( 1841 );
changes in land ownership concepts through the Great Mahele ( 1848); and
the updating, through a new Constitution, of the structures of government
(1852). In February 1843, Lord George Paulet forced cession of' the Hawaiian
Kingdom to Great Britain, as the result of a dispute between the two countries,
but the action was repudiated by Rear Admiral Richard Thomas in July of
that same year, and Hawaii's independence was officially recognized. Honolulu's
Thomas Square honors his memory. In 1845 King Kamehameha III and the Legislature
moved to Honolulu from the capital at Lahaina, on Maui; on August 31, 1850,
he declared Honolulu officially to be the Capital of the Kingdom. Also
in the year 1850, the first unit of Honolulu's Fire Department, the Board
of Health, and the Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu were established; and
the first pipe for a public water system was laid in 1848.
MANY IMMIGRANTS ARRIVE
During the middle of the 19th century, Hawaii was a center of whaling activity.
An infant sugar industry had found a shortage of plantation labor, and
in 1852 Chinese were brought into the Kingdom by contract. Thus began the
stream of imported labor which lasted until 1946. The first Japanese came
in 1868, while Filipinos started arriving at a much later date. Koreans,
Portuguese and Puerto Ricans are among the other national groups brought
to the islands. The growing importance of sugar was reflected in Hawaii's
political picture during the next few decades. The sugar planters favored
annexation of Hawaii by the United States to establish a firm market for
the product. The Hawaiian monarchs, on the other hand, intermittently attempted
to establish and implement a policy of Hawaii for the Hawaiians.
KAMEHAMEHA IV AND V.
During the reigns of Kamehameha's grandson, Alexander Liholiho, who ruled
as Kamehameha IV (1855-1863); and his brother, Lot Kamehameha, Kamehameha
V (1863-1872); there was a succession of inconclusive wrangles over the
constitution between those insistent on limiting suffrage and strengthening
the power of the throne, and those wishing to extend the franchise and
limit the powers of the monarch. With the death of Kamehameha V, the line
of direct descendants of Kamehameha ended, and the legislature, following
a plebiscite, elected Prince William C. Lunalilo as King. He died a year
later, and David Kalakaua was elected his successor. Disorders sparked
by adherents of his rival contender, Dowager Queen Emma, widow of Kamehameha
IV, broke out in Honolulu when the result became known, and the government
was forced to call upon Americans and British marines to restore order.
KING KALAKAUA
Kalakaua brought to fruition negotiations with the United States which
were initiated by Lunalilo, and in 1875 a treaty of reciprocity was signed
between the two nations. By its terms, Hawaii assured itself of a market
for sugar in the United States, and upon its renewal in 1887 the U. S.
secured the exclusive use of Pearl Harbor as a coaling station. Despite
his being known as the Merry Monarch, Kalakaua's reign (1874- 1891) was
a stormy one. He was continually battling for an increase in the personal
authority of the King. He dreamed of a Polynesian empire. He made a trip
around the world and while in Japan proposed a marriage alliance with the
Emperor's family. His efforts, however, were unsuccessful, and under pressure
he signed a new constitution in 1887 which further curbed his power, and
set up a cabinet-type government responsible to the Legislature. This led,
in 1889, to an unsuccessful insurrection by those opposed to the new constitution
and its measures.
Hawaii BECOMES A REPUBLIC
Kalakaua died in 1891 during a visit to San Francisco, and was succeeded
by his sister, Liliuokalani. The last Hawaiian monarch, she reigned less
than two years. Her policy was to eliminate the restrictions which had
been placed on the Monarchy, and to this end she attempted to proclaim
still another constitution. Thus led in 1893 to a bloodless "revolution,"
her ouster as Queen, and the formation of a provisional government under
the Leadership of Sanford Ballard Dole. The Provisional Government requested
annexation by the United States, but President Grover Cleveland was not
in sympathy with the Provisional Government or with the revolution, and
refused. The Provisional Government then converted Hawaii into a Republic
and Dole was proclaimed President in 1894.
ANNEXATION IN 1898
President William McKinley had a more sympathetic attitude regarding annexation,
and the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898 brought matters to
a head. Hawaii's strategic military importance in the Pacific was recognized,
particularly its potential threat to the United States were another great
power to occupy the islands. By Joint Resolution of Congress, the islands
were officially annexed, and formal transfer of sovereignty was made on
August 12, 1898. The new possession was then organized as a Territory and
Dole was appointed its first Governor, taking office June 14,1900. The
first Territorial Legislature convened on February 20, 1901
PINEAPPLE BECOMES AN INDUSTRY
During this period, a young cousin of S.B. Dole who had come to Hawaii
from New England to seek his fortune established a second major industry.
James D. Dole, continuing experiments with pineapple which had been made
by others, finally found a variety that would grow successfully, and he
made his first canned pineapple pack in 1903, producing 1,893 cases. From
this beginning came Hawaii's great pineapple industry of today. With annexation,
the pattern for Hawaii's development during the next few decades was set.
The sugar industry and the new pineapple industry were developed, and a
continual stream of laborers was brought to the islands. Older workers,
in turn, tended to leave the plantations for other occupations. There were
some labor disputes, and even some violence, but no effective organization
of labor.
DEVELOPMENT IN THE '20's and '30's
Hawaii's people participated in World War I, but Hawaii was actually a
backwash of that great struggle. During the 1920's increased efforts to
promote Hawaii for tourists were initiated. In 1927, Army Lieutenants Lester
Mainland and Albert Hegenberger made the first successful non-stop flight
from the Mainland, marking the arrival of the trans-Pacific air age in
Hawaii. Commercial inter-island air service began two years later. Radio-telephone
service among the islands and to the Mainland was established in 1931,
and extended to Europe and South America in 1932. (A telephone system had
first been established in Hawaii in 1878.) The effects of the Great Depression
in the 1930's were not as serious in Hawaii as they were in more industrialized
areas. With growing international tensions, and particularly the aggressions
of Japan in the Far East, the '30's saw a build-up of American military
power in Hawaii. They also saw the binding of Hawaii closer to the Mainland
by Pan American World Airways' inauguration of regular commercial passenger
flights in 1936.
PEARL HARBOR-1941
International tensions burst into flame at 7:55 a.m., Sunday, December
7,1941, when the first Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, causing nearly
4,000 casualties, and seriously crippling the great American fleet berthed
there. Hawaii quickly mushroomed into an armed camp, and was the nerve
center of America's whale Pacific war effort. The joyous celebration of
V-J day on August 14,1945, was heartfelt. The Japanese population of Hawaii
was the object of some suspicion at the beginning of World War II. This
was completely eliminated by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed
largely of Nisei (second generation Americans of Japanese ancestry) from
Hawaii, which became the most decorated outfit in the entire war. Their
combat exploits in the European theater are legendary. Not to be overlooked,
either, were the hundreds of Nisei from Hawaii who served with great usefulness
as interpreters and translators in the Pacific theater, as well as the
participation of Hawaii's other ethnic groups in all phases of the war
effort. Hawaii spent the greater part of the war under martial law, or
a modified concept of it with blackouts, curfews, and similar regulations.
POSTWAR CHANGES
A law permitting organization of agricultural workers, passed by the Territorial
Legislature in 1945, brought major labor organization to the islands within
a year. The late '40's were marred by a series of labor-management conflicts
including the very serious waterfront strike of 1949 which lasted six months.
With the outbreak of the Korean conflict in 1950, Hawaii was again called
upon for sacrifice. The unpreparedness of the nation as a whole led to
a particularly heavy demand on Hawaii, closest to the conflict, and Hawaii's
people suffered more military casualties per capita than any other state.
Since the end of the Korean conflict, Hawaii has enjoyed an explosive economic
growth. It became one of the fastest growing states in the union. In 1965,
the conflict in Vietnam brought the departure of the 25th Infantry Division,
stationed at Schofteld Barracks, and the 1st Marine Brigade, stationed
at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station. Hawaii's people had their share of
casualties in this war as in previous wars. The rapid development of air
transportation, culminating in larger and faster jets has brought more
and more visitors to the islands and tourism has become Hawaii's largest
source of basic income, followed by Federal military expenditures. In 1990
tourism poured more money into the economy than all agricultural products
combined. Construction boomed in the '60's and early '70's as facilities
were provided for visitors and for Hawaii's growing population. High-rise
buildings mushroomed in Waikiki and major resort areas developed on Maui,
Hawaii, Kauai, and Molokai. Other industries also have grown. Fashion designs
and apparel manufactured in Hawaii have earned a worldwide reputation.
Much development effort has one into such agricultural products as coffee,
macadamia nuts, papaya, guava, passion fruit, and tropical flowers and
foliage. Hawaii now refines oil, manufactures cement, mills flour and even
has a small steel plant. High technology parks .re in various stages of
development on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii. Because Hawaii depending largely
on imported petroleum for its energy requirements, the State has vigorously
promoted alternate energy resources with promising prospects. These include
solar, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, biomes, and ocean thermal energy
conversion. It is participating in new discoveries both in outer space
and inner space. There is a satellite tracking and spaceship communication
center on Kauai, several observatories atop Haleakala on Maui, and major
observatories at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii. Mauna Kea is considered
the world leader in astronomical installations, with eight major telescopes
in operation. Oceanographic research, for which Hawaii has unique advantages,
is expanding rapidly. Many major projects are underway at Oceanic Institute,
the University of Hawaii, Federal agencies and private companies. Aqua-
culture is growing fast and shows promise of becoming a major industry.
Hawaii also looks to international trade as an important growth factor.
U.S. Foreign-Trade Zone No. 9 and its Sub-Zones, as well as its operator,
the State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, are
important agencies in Hawaii's effort to become a major center of Pacific
trade.
POLITICAL CHANGES
New political orientations have characterized the period since 1954. From
1902 through the election of 1952, Republicans had dominated political
life; there had never been a Democratic majority in either house of the
Legislature. In 1954; however, the Democrats captured both houses of the
Territorial Legislature. They have maintained this dominance except for
the year I959. In 1962, for the first time in Hawaii's history, Democrats
won control of the Governorship and both branches of the Legislature. From
the '30's through the '50's the dominant political theme in Hawaii was
Statehood. First proposed during the reign of Kamehameha III, it became
a more , defined goal shortly after World War 1, when Hawaii's Delegate
to Congress, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, introduced a bill to that
effect in Congress. More strenuous efforts were made in the '30's, '40's
and '50's by a successor of territorial delegates to Congress. A plebiscite
showing a 2-to- I vote in favor of Statehood was conducted in 1940. A Constitutional
Convention which wrote Hawaii's modern constitution (later amended) was
held in 1950.
HAWAII BECOMES A STATE
All these efforts finally culminated in success in 1959, when .John A.
Burns was Delegate, and both Houses of Congress passed the necessary legislation,
the Senate on March 11, and the House on March 12. Hawaii officially entered
the American Union as the 50th State on Admission Day, August 21, 1959.
William F. Quinn was Hawaii's first elected Governor. The second was John
A. Burns, who served 12 years. He died April 5,1975. Third was George R.
Ariyoshi, elected to his third and final term in 1982. John Waihee is 4th.
Other government leaders include Benjamin Cayetano, Lieutenant Governor;
U.S. Senators Daniel K. lnouye and Daniel K. Akaka; Congress persons Patsy
T. Mink and Neil Abercrombie; and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Herman
T.F Lum.
EXECUTIVES OF HAWAll:
SOVEREIGNS
GOVERNORS
Kamehameha I . . . . . 1795-1819
Sanford B. Dole . .. . . . . . .1900-1903
Kamehameha II . . . . . 1819-1824
George R. Carter .. . . . . . .1903-1907
Kamehameha III. . .... .1825-1854
Walter F. Frear. . . . . . ... 1907-1913
Kamehameha IV.. . . .. 1855-1863
Lucius E. Pinkham . . . . . 1913-1918
Kamehameha V . . . . 1863-1872
Charles J. McCarthy . . . . 1918-1921
Lunalilo . . .. .. . . . ..... 1873-1874
Wallace R. Farrington . .. . 1921-1929
Kalakaua.. . .. .. ... ... 1874-1891
Lawrence M. Judd.. .. . 1929-1934
Liliuokalani . . . . . . . 1891-1893
Joseph B. Poindexter . . . . 1934-1942
Ingram M. Stainback . . 1942-1951
Oren E. Long . . . . . . . . . .1951-1953
Samuel W. King .. . . . . . 1953-1957
William F. Quinn . . . .. . . 1957-1962
PRESIDENT
John A. Burns . . .. . . . . 1962-1974
Sanford B. Dole . . . . 1893-1900
George R. Ariyoshi . . . . . 1974-1986
John Waihee . . . . . . . . . 1986- 1993
Benjamin Cayetano ..........1993-
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