Kamehameha IV

Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV
King of the Hawaiian Islands (more...)
Reign

January 11, 1855 November 30, 1864

Investiture

January 11, 1855

Kawaiahao Church

Predecessor

Kamehameha III

Successor

Kamehameha V

Kuhina Nui

Keoni Ana
Kaahumanu IV

Spouse

Queen Emma

Issue

Albert Edward Kauikeaouli

Full name
Alekanetero (Alexander) Iolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o Iouli Knuikea o Kkilimoku.
House

House of Kamehameha

Father

Kekanoa
Kamehameha III (hnai)

Mother

Knau
Kalama (hnai)

Born

February 9, 1834
Honolulu, Oahu

Died

November 30, 1863 (aged29)

Honolulu, Oahu

Burial

February 3, 1864
Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum

Signature

Religion

Church of Hawaii

Kamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho (18341863), reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of
Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863. His full Hawaiian name was Alekanetero Iolani
Kalanikualiholiho Maka o Iouli Knuikea o Kkilimoku.

Kamehameha IV

Early life
Alexander was born on February 9, 1834 in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.
His father was High Chief Mataio Kekanoa, Royal Governor of Oahu. His
mother was Princess Elizabeth Knau 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.
His name Iolani meaning Hawk of heaven, or Royal hawk.[1]

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
Prince Alexander Liholiho wearing leis.
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 cricket. 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
Kapuiwa, 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:
"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."

Kamehameha IV

3
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:

Dr. Geritt P. Judd and his two royal charges: Prince Lot
Kapuiwa (left) and Prince Alexander Liholiho (right)

"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, boarded a ship in England and sailed to the United States of America for a more
extensive stay before returning. At Washington D.C., they met with President Zachary Taylor and Vice President
Millard Filmore. 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."
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:
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."

Kamehameha IV

Succession
Upon his return Alexander was appointed to the Privy Council and House of Nobles 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 Kapuiwa was minister of the interior.:36

Queen Emma and Prince Albert

Only a year after assuming the throne, Alexander took the hand of Emma Rooke
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 quickly slipped his own gold ring to the king and
the ceremony continued.:62
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.

Emma, a British descendant and

great grand niece of Hawaii's first
king, was Kamehameha IV's Queen
Consort.

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
Kekanoa 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.
The Royal Family of Hawaii on horseback, 1856, by Charles Christian Nahl

In August 1861 he issued a declaration of

neutrality in the American Civil War.

Kamehameha IV

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 British and other European
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.

Legacy
Alexander and Queen Emma devoted much of their reign to providing quality healthcare and education 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.:7879
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.[2]

End of reign
Alexander died of chronic asthma 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

The Holy Sovereigns on stain-glass windows at

St. Andrews, the church Kamehameha IV and
Queen Emma helped found.

Kamehameha IV

heir of his own, Queen Emma ran unsuccessfully to become the Kingdom's ruling monarch. She lost to David
Kalkaua 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.

References
[1] Hawaiianencyclopedia (http:/ / www. hawaiianencyclopedia. com/ part-i. -n257-m333299-hawaiithe. asp)
[2] page 39, footnote 2

Further reading
Jacob Adler, ed. (1967). The Journal of Prince Alexander Liholiho, The Voyages Made to the United States,
England and France in 18491850. The University of Hawaii Press for The Hawaiian Historical Society.
ISBN978-0-608-00534-8.
Ruby Hasegawa Lowe, Robin Yoko Racoma (1996). Kamehameha IV, Alexander Liholiho (http://www.ulukau.
org/elib/cgi-bin/library?c=ks10&l=en). Kamehameha Schools Press. ISBN0-87336-045-1.
Elizabeth Waldron (1986). Liholiho and Emma: King Kamehameha IV and His Queen. Daughters of Hawaii.
ISBN0-938851-00-4.
Kingdom of Hawaii (1856). Laws of His Majesty Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands: passed by the
nobles and representatives, at their session (http://books.google.com/books?id=7rNBAAAAYAAJ&
dq=Kamehameha+IV&output=html&source=gbs_navlinks_s).
Kamehameha IV (1861). Speeches of His Majesty Kamehameha IV: to the Hawaiian Legislature ... (http://
books.google.com/books?id=1U8gU7VqaY4C&output=html&source=gbs_navlinks_s). Government Press.

External links
"Biography of Founder King Kamehameha IV" (http://www.queensmedicalcenter.net/index.
php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=109). The Queen's Hospital web site. Retrieved
2010-01-29.
"Alexander Liholiho: Kamehameha IV" (http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/hawaii/kamehameha+iv/).
Aloha-Hawaii.com web site. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
"Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) 18341863" (http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?PageID=401).
hawaiihistory.org web site. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
Will Hoover (July 2, 2006). "King Kamehameha IV" (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/150/
sesq1kamehamehaiv). Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
"Kamehameha IV" (http://www.keouanui.org/Kamehameha4.html). Biography from Hawaii Royal Family
web site. Kealii Pubs. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
Ua Nani `O Nu'uanu Mele Inoa for Alexander Liholiho (http://www.huapala.org/U/Ua_Nani_O_Nuuanu.
html)
Royal titles
Precededby
Kamehameha III

King of
Hawaii
18551863

Succeededby
Kamehameha V

Article Sources and Contributors

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File:KamehamehaIV.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:KamehamehaIV.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: KAVEBEAR, W Nowicki, Yourfriend1
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