Abigail Wahiikaahuula Campbell Kawānanakoa (also known as Princess David Kawānanakoa, January 1, 1882 – April 12, 1945) was a politician and Princess of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Life

Abigail Campbell was born January 1, 1882, in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

. She was born in the same bedroom of the Emma Street mansion which had been the birthplace of Princess

Kaʻiulani Kaʻiulani (; Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn; October 16, 1875 – March 6, 1899) was the only child of Princess Miriam Likelike, and the last heir apparent to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom. ...

. Her father was

James Campbell James Campbell may refer to: Academics * James Archibald Campbell (1862–1934), founder of Campbell University in North Carolina * James Marshall Campbell (1895–1977), dean of the college of arts and sciences at the Catholic University of Americ ...

, one of the wealthiest industrialists in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

. Her mother was part-Hawaiian Abigail Kuaihelani Maipinepine Bright. She graduated from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California, in 1900, when she converted from Anglicanism, religion of her parents, to Roman Catholicism. On January 6, 1902, by virtue of her marriage to Prince David Laʻamea Kahalepouli Kawānanakoa Piʻikoi, she became known as

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

Abigail. Prince David was one of the heirs of

David Kalakaua David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi along with Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani and Kalakaua's sister, then Crown Princess Liliuokalani. Prince David died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1908. She and Prince David had three children;

David Kalākaua Kawānanakoa David Kalākaua Kawānanakoa (March 10, 1904 – May 20, 1953), also known as Prince Koke, was a member of the House of Kawānanakoa and the only son of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa. Life He was born on M ...

, Abigail Helen Kapiʻolani Kawānanakoa, and Lydia Liliʻuokalani Kawānanakoa. Upon the death of her brother-in-law, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole in 1922, Princess Abigail effectively became the leader of all

native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

and took an active part in Hawaiʻi's politics as their advocate. She also assumed the role of heir to the throne as native Hawaiians continued to pray for the return of their sovereignty. Unlike her brother-in-law Prince Kūhiō, Princess Abigail was a devoted

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and worked to develop its platforms and pursue its ideals. In 1924 she became the Republican national committeewoman for Hawaii and served in that capacity for twelve years. Her prominence on the national stage made Princess Abigail a role model for women in Hawaii. She died at her Honolulu home on April 12, 1945.

Fiction

She has a short role in

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...

's novel in '' Days of Infamy'' where she is offered the throne of a restored Kingdom of Hawaii. She refuses, not wishing to be a

puppet monarch A puppet monarch is a majority figurehead who is installed or patronized by an imperial power to provide the appearance of local authority but to allow political and economic control to remain among the dominating nation. A figurehead monarc ...

of the Japanese. In the 1986

Television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

drama '' Blood & Orchids'' inspired by the 1932

Massie Trial The Massie Trial, for what was known as the Massie Affair, was a 1932 criminal trial that took place in Honolulu, Hawaii Territory. Socialite Grace Fortescue, along with several accomplices, was charged with the murder of the well-known local prizef ...

, a character based on Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa is not considered historically accurate.

Gallery

File:Miss Abigail Campbell, 1902.jpg, In 1902, before her marriage File:Abigail Kawananakoa, photograph by Theodore C. Marceau.jpg, Photograph by Theodore C. Marceau File:Abigail Kawananakoa and the Prince of Wales (PP-97-16-003).jpg, With the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, ca. 1920

Family tree

References

The Esoteric Curiosa: "Democratic" Princess Of Hawai'i: Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawananakoa, Abigail Campbell 1882 births 1945 deaths House of Kawānanakoa Native Hawaiian women in politics Burials at the Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla) Notre Dame de Namur University alumni Hawaii Republicans Hawaiian Kingdom people Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Hawaiian Kingdom Roman Catholics Hawaiian princesses