Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Curtis Piʻehu Iaukea (December 13, 1855 – March 5, 1940) served as a court official, army officer and diplomat of the
Kingdom of Hawaii. He later became an influential official for the subsequent regimes of the
Provisional Government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
and the
Republic and the
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
.
Iaukea was raised from an early age to serve the Hawaiian royal family. He first gained prominence during the reign of King
Kalākaua
Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), sometimes called The Merrie Monarch, was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, ...
when he served as an important court official and an army officer in the volunteer army of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He held numerous significant positions including
governor of Oahu and chamberlain to the Royal Household. He also served as Hawaii's ambassador to Europe and Asia, attending the coronation of Tsar
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...
and the
Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Iaukea received numerous Hawaiian honors and foreign decorations during his service to the kingdom. Following the
overthrow of the monarchy, he continued to work for the subsequent regimes of the Provisional Government and the Republic of Hawaii. He served as an officer on the military staff of President
Sanford B. Dole
Sanford Ballard Dole (April 23, 1844 – June 9, 1926) was a lawyer and jurist from the Hawaiian Islands. He lived through the periods when Hawaii was a kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory. A descendant of the American missionary ...
and represented the Republic at the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
After Hawaii's annexation to the United States, he became a member of the
Democratic Party of Hawaii
The Democratic Party of Hawaii ( haw, ʻAoʻao Demokalaka o Hawaiʻi) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Hawaii.
The party is a centralized organization established to promote the party platform as drafted in convention ...
and served in many official positions in the newly created
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
including sheriff of
Honolulu County
Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the city of Honolulu (the state's capital and largest cit ...
, senator of the Third District, secretary of Hawaii, and acting
governor of Hawaii
The governor of Hawaii ( haw, Ke Kiaʻaina o Hawaiʻi) is the head of government of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a direct ...
. As one of the last surviving representatives of the Hawaiian royal court, he served as business manager and private secretary to the deposed Queen
Liliʻuokalani
Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Haw ...
until her death in 1917.
Early life and family
Curtis Piʻehu Iʻaukea was born December 13, 1855, in
Waimea, on the island 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 state ...
. Descended from the Hawaiian ''
aliʻi
The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the ''noho aliʻi''.
The word ''aliʻi'' has a similar meaning in the Samoan language and other Polynesian languages, and in Māori ...
'' (noble) class, his parents were John W. Iaukea and Lahapa Nalanipo. His father served as the district magistrate of
Hamakua and their family were well-known on the island of Hawaii.
From his paternal line, he descended from Namiki, a priest of the
Pa‘ao order, and Kahiwa Kānekapōlei, a daughter of
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Th ...
. On his mother's side, he descended from Kalanipo or Nalanipo, a descendant of the ʻI clan of
Hilo and the Mahi clan of
Kohala. His mother's family were also related to
Kekuʻiapoiwa II
Kekuʻiapoiwa II was a Hawaiian chiefess and the mother of the king Kamehameha I.
Biography
She was named after her aunt Kekuʻiapoiwa Nui (also known as Kekuʻiapoiwa I), the wife of King Kekaulike of Maui.
Her father was High Chief Haae, ...
, the mother of King Kamehameha I. His family were considered to be of the Hawaiian ''kaukau aliʻi'' rank, or lower ranking chiefs in service to the royal family.
He and his sister Maraea were born in the family's home in Waimea, which stood across the Waikōloa Stream from the residence of early American Protestant missionary
Lorenzo Lyons
Lorenzo Lyons or "''Makua Laiana''" (April 18, 1807 – October 6, 1886) was an early missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of "'' Hawaii Aloha''", which was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in ...
who was a close friend of the family. Iaukea was given the first name Curtis after Lyons' son Curtis Jere Lyons. When he was later presented to King
Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...
as a young child, the king gave him the additional name Piʻehu in respect of his shyness and lighter skin complexion. At court, he was known and referred to by his Hawaiian name Piʻehu.
Shortly after birth, he was adopted by his maternal uncle Kaihupaʻa to be raised in the Hawaiian custom of ''
hānai
''Hānai'' is a term used in the Hawaiian culture that refers to the informal adoption of one person by another. It can be used as an adjective, such as "''hānai'' child", or as a verb to ''hānai'' someone into the family.
In the Hawaiian cultu ...
'', an informal form of adoption between extended families practiced by Hawaiian royals and commoners alike. His uncle had been educated by the American Protestant missionary Levi Chamberlain and had served his entire life as a personal assistant and servant to King
Kamehameha III and later his successor Kamehameha IV. Iaukea was taken to the kingdom's capital at
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 ...
to live with Kaihupaʻa and his wife Keliaipala. They lived near the grounds of the old
ʻIolani Palace
The Iolani Palace ( haw, Hale Aliʻi ʻIolani) was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under the Kalākaua D ...
, in the building of the former
Royal School. Renamed Halepoepoe (meaning circular or round house), this building had been turned into a home for royal retainers and the ''kahu'' (caretakers) for the reigning King
Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...
. Around the time he was five or six, Iaukea fell into a well and his uncle Kaihupaʻa broke his foot in the process of saving him, later dying from the injuries he sustained.
Childhood and education
Iaukea was raised at the Hawaiian court to become a ''kahu'' and continue his family ''kuleana'' (responsibility) of serving the Hawaiian royal family. The young boy was intended to be raised as a page or valet, and companion for Prince
Albert Edward Kamehameha, the only son and heir of Kamehameha IV and his wife
Queen Emma. These plans were never realized because the prince died in 1862, at the age of four. In later life, Iaukea noted,
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/St._Alban%27s_College%2C_Honolulu.jpg)
As a ward of the Hawaiian government, he was sent to an
Anglican boarding school. Around 1862 or 1863, Iaukea was enrolled in St. Alban's College, founded by Bishop
Thomas Nettleship Staley and his assistants Archdeacon George Mason and Rev. Edmund Ibbotson, which was located in the
Pauoa Valley. Here he first developed a friendship with
William Pitt Leleiohoku, the ''hānai'' son of Princess
Keʻelikōlani
Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, or sometimes written as Luka Ke‘elikōlani, also known as Ruth Ke‘elikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa or Ruth Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Ke‘elikōlani (June 17, 1826 – May 24, 1883), was a formal member of the House of Kameha ...
. Their bond was later compared to the friendship of
Damon and Pythias
The story of Damon (; grc-gre, Δάμων, gen. Δάμωνος) and Pythias (;
or
; or Phintias, ) is a legend in Greek historic writings illustrating the Pythagorean ideal of friendship. Pythias is accused of and charged with plotting against ...
. In 1863, the school was relocated and merged with the Luaʻehu School, in
Lahaina
Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Lah ...
,
Maui, established by the Anglican Rev. William R. Scott and later administered by Archdeacon Mason who served as Iaukea's mentor. In 1870, he returned to Oahu when the school was again relocated back to its original site. These institutions were the precursors of the present
ʻIolani School
Iolani School, located at 563 Kamoku Street in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a private coeducational college preparatory school serving over 2,020 students with a boarding program for grades 9 - 12 as well as a summer boarding program for middle school gra ...
in Honolulu. Some of his other classmates included
Samuel Nowlein
Samuel Nowlein (April 3, 1851 – December 5, 1905) was a Native Hawaiian Colonel who was a monarchist and known for organizing the 1895 Wilcox rebellion against the Republic of Hawaii before being caught and arrested during the rebellion.
Biogr ...
and
Robert Hoapili Baker, both of whom were politicians in later life.
Service to the monarchy
In 1871, before leaving Hawaii, Archdeacon Mason informed Iaukea that had Kamehameha IV still been living, he would have intended for him to continue his education in Europe, and eventually to groom him to become an ordained chaplain for the royal family. Iaukea was deeply touched by the high expectations of his deceased benefactor. After finishing his education, he served King
Kamehameha V as a
kāhili
A ''kāhili'' is a symbol of the aliʻi chiefs and families of the Hawaiian Islands. It was taken by the Kamehamehas as a Hawaiian royal standard and used by the Royal Families to indicate their lineage.
History
The ''kāhili'' has long been ...
bearer and steward at the palace, awaiting an assignment from the king. In 1872, the king sent Iaukea and William K. Hutchison, the son of
Ferdinand William Hutchison, to Lahaina where they learned the art of sugar boiling in the growing sugar industry on Maui, and helped manage the West Maui Sugar Plantation, in which the king had a share. They were placed under the care of Governor
Paul Nahaolelua. After the king's death in 1872, Iaukea briefly left his service to the royal court and moved to Hilo to live with his sister Maraea and her husband Charles Akono Nui Akau, a Chinese-Hawaiian manager of the Paukaʻa Sugar Plantation.
[; ] The listless Iaukea enjoyed his new-found independence, but he also felt unfulfilled. He later wrote: "I was dangling at a loose end. And even though I was enjoying my independence, I was aware that I did not know just where I was going or what I ought to do. I was frustrated without realizing it."
Reign of Kalākaua
![Curtis P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Curtis_P._Iaukea_%28PP-73-3-023%29.jpg)
Following the short reign of
Lunalilo
Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo; January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later.
Born to Kekāuluohi and High Chief Charles Kanaʻina, ...
, King
Kalākaua
Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), sometimes called The Merrie Monarch, was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, ...
ascended to the throne of Hawaii in 1874. During a tour of the island of Hawaii, Iaukea caught the eye of the new king who commanded him to return to the royal court.
He became a personal aide to the king's younger brother, and former schoolmate, Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku. Both men were of a similar age and shared the same interest in sports and music. He became a member of the
Kawaihau Glee Club, sponsored by the Prince and his friends, which competed with the singing clubs of the king, Princess
Liliʻuokalani
Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Haw ...
and Princess
Likelike
Likelike (; Miriam Likelike Kekāuluohi Keahelapalapa Kapili; January 13, 1851February 2, 1887) was a princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom and member of the reigning House of Kalākaua. She was born in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu. Likelike ...
. Liliʻuokalani noted her brother's group "consisted in a large degree of the very purest and sweetest male voices to be found amongst the native Hawaiians". In later life, Iaukea recalled, "Happy days those were; the days when 'Wine, Women and Song' were the rule of the day." The Prince died on April 7, 1877.
On April 15, 1878, Iaukea was commissioned as captain of the Prince's Own Artillery Corps, Company A. This unit was a voluntary military regiment reorganized in 1874 and originally headed by King Kalākaua. At this time, the army of the Kingdom of Hawaii consisted of five volunteer companies, including the Prince's Own, and the regular troops of the
King's Household Guard. Each unit was subject to being called for active service when necessary. On November 29, 1878, Iaukea was also appointed to King Kalākaua's personal military staff, with the rank of colonel.
[; ] The reign of Kalakaua was characterized by his emphasis on military pomp. On October 4, 1886, Iaukea was created adjutant general to the Forces of the Kingdom, succeeding upon the resignation of
Charles T. Gulick. According to the military act of 1886, as adjutant general, he was the second-in-command after
John Owen Dominis, who was appointed lieutenant general and commander-in-chief with the king as supreme commander and
generalissimo
''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used.
Usage
The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...
.
At different times during the king's reign he held the important posts of tax collector for Koolaupoko, member of the
Privy Council of State, commissioner to the Great International Fisheries Exhibition in London, member of the Board of Health, disbursing agent for the Royal Guard, collector general of Customs, commissioner of Crown Lands and land agent, and private secretary to the king, as well as other minor positions and appointments.
[; ; ] He served as
chamberlain
Chamberlain may refer to:
Profession
*Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure
People
*Chamberlain (surname)
**Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
to the Royal Household from 1886 to 1888, succeeding to this post upon the resignation of
Charles Hastings Judd. After Dominis' appointment as lieutenant general, Iaukea was appointed as his successor as the
governor of Oahu. He served in this position from October 4, 1886, to August 5, 1887, when Dominis was reappointed to the post.
From 1880 to 1883 he served as the secretary of the Foreign Office.
In this capacity, he worked as the chief clerk and secretary for Minister of Foreign Affairs
William Lowthian Green
William Lowthian Green (13 September 1819 – 7 December 1890) was an English adventurer and merchant who later became cabinet minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii. As an amateur geologist, he published a theory of the formation of the earth call ...
and later Green's successor
Walter Murray Gibson
Walter Murray Gibson (March 6, 1822 – January 21, 1888) was an American adventurer and a government minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii prior to the kingdom's 1887 constitution.
Early life
Gibson was generally thought to be born March 6, 1822 ...
. After a period in the service of this new foreign minister, he was asked to resign by Gibson who appointed his friend Joseph S. Webb to the position instead. Iaukea returned to serve as a staff member of the king, fast becoming a favorite in the royal entourage. During Kalākaua's coronation ceremony in 1883, he played a large ceremonial role as the bearer of the Sword of State, while his wife served as one of the ladies-in-waiting to Queen Kapiʻolani.
Following the coronation ceremony, the king informed Iaukea that he and his cabinet had commissioned him as the head of a diplomatic trip around the world. Iaukea was taken aback by the honor since he had no experience in diplomacy and was only twenty-eight at the time. In this role, Iaukea would become the most traveled member of the Hawaiian administration after Kalākaua who had made a similar
world tour in 1881. Commissioned as the kingdom's ambassador with the rank of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, he represented Hawaii at the coronation of
Tsar Alexander III of Russia on May 27, 1883, and led a subsequent diplomatic tour of the courts of Europe and Japan. Traveling with his secretary, the part-Hawaiian Henry F. Poor, Iaukea made a favorable impression on the courts of Europe. In Russia, they had an audience with the new tsar and tsarina, met Russian Foreign Minister
Nikolay Girs
Nikolay de Girs or Giers (russian: Никола́й Ка́рлович Гирс ''Nikolay Karlovich Girs'')
( – ) was the Russian Foreign Minister, 1882-1895, during the reign of Alexander III. He was one of the architects of the Franco-Rus ...
, and socialized on an equal footing with the other foreign dignitaries. Iaukea later noted, "the sight of my country's flag floating over the entrance to the Hotel Duseaux besides those of the United States and Japan, gave me an added incentive to meet the responsibilities that lay ahead and discharge them with honor". The two Hawaiians traveled to the courts of Berlin, Vienna, Belgrade, London, Rome, and India and Japan via the
Suez Canal. In London, he visited the
International Fisheries Exhibition
The International Fisheries Exhibition was a Victorian era scientific, cultural, and animal exhibition open in South Kensington, London, United Kingdom, between May 12 and October 31, 1883. (The busiest day was May 15, when the official visitor co ...
.
In Japan, he met with the
Emperor Meiji and helped finalize an immigration plan between Japan and Hawaii previously negotiated by Kalākaua during his world tour.
In 1887, he was appointed ambassador to Great Britain, with the rank of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the
Court of St James's, and accompanied
Queen Kapiʻolani and Princess Liliʻuokalani to the celebration of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
's
Golden Jubilee.
The diplomatic party also included Governor John Owen Dominis, husband of the princess, Colonel
James Harbottle Boyd, secretary and attaché to Iaukea, and their attendants. On the journey across the United States, they visited Washington, DC and met with President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
. The Hawaiian party was graciously received during the Jubilee and given the same honor as every nation in attendance.
Iaukea translated for Queen Kapiʻolani, who spoke only
Hawaiian, during her official audience with Queen Victoria.
Iaukea was decorated with the
Royal Order of Kapiolani
The Royal Order of Kapiʻolani (''Kapiʻolani e Hoʻokanaka'') was instituted on August 30, 1880 by King Kalākaua to recognize services in the cause of humanity, for merit in Science and the Arts, or for special services rendered to the Kingdom ...
and the
Royal Order of the Crown of Hawaii in 1884, and biographies of him claim he also received all the Hawaiian orders during the reign of Kalākaua, i.e. the honors of the
Royal Order of Kamehameha I
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I (''Kamehameha I e Hookanaka'') is an order of knighthood established by Kamehameha V in 1865, to promote and defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Established by the 1864 Constitution, the Order of Kam ...
, the
Royal Order of Kalākaua, and the
Royal Order of the Star of Oceania.
He also received many foreign honors and decorations including Commander (Third Class)
Order of the Crown of Thailand
The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...
, Commander of an unspecified order from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, Grand Cross and Cordon of
Order of Saint Stanislaus of Russia, the Grand Cross and Ribbon of the
Order of the Cross of Takovo
The Order of the Cross of Takovo was a Serbian state order.
History
It was instituted in the Principality of Serbia in 1865 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which had started in Takovo, Serbi ...
of Serbia, the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
of France, Grand Cross of the
Order of the Crown of Italy, Knight Commander of the
Order of St. Olav of Sweden-Norway, Knight Commander of the
Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, the
Belgian Red Cross
The Belgian Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that aids in providing emergency and disaster related services and relief as well as providing education for disaster awareness within the population of Belgium. It is a member of the Internat ...
, Grand Officer of the
Order of the Liberator
The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other or ...
of Venezuela, the British
Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee, and
Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Following the overthrow
After Kalākaua's death and the accession of Queen Liliʻuokalani, Iaukea was reappointed colonel of the queen's personal military staff, and as agent of the
Crown Lands.
The monarchy was
overthrown on January 17, 1893, by the
Committee of Safety, with the support of United States Minister
John L. Stevens, and the landing of American forces from the
USS ''Boston''. After a brief transition under the
Provisional Government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
, the oligarchical
Republic of Hawaii was established on July4, 1894, with
Sanford B. Dole
Sanford Ballard Dole (April 23, 1844 – June 9, 1926) was a lawyer and jurist from the Hawaiian Islands. He lived through the periods when Hawaii was a kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory. A descendant of the American missionary ...
as president.
![Dole, Soper, Iaukea, and Pratt (PP-28-7-010)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Dole%2C_Soper%2C_Iaukea%2C_and_Pratt_%28PP-28-7-010%29.jpg)
Following the overthrow, Iaukea was asked by the Provisional Government to remain in his post as agent of the Crown Lands. He took the oath of allegiance to the new regime on January 24, 1893. According to Iaukea, in later life, he decided to continue working for the two subsequent regimes after consulting with the deposed queen and gaining her approval. He also cited the economic necessity of working for the government since he and his wife had to sell their Honolulu residence around this time. From this point his friendship with Liliʻuokalani cooled with Iaukea noting that "my calls on
erlacked the personal informality of happier days".
During this period, he worked as the sub-agent of Public Lands. He also served on the Board of Prison Inspectors in 1893, and was appointed special police constable of the Kona District of Oahu in 1894.
On November 27, 1895, he was commissioned with the demoted rank of major and quartermaster on the General Staff of the Republic.
[; ]
Having developed a close friendship with the British Crown, Iaukea returned to the United Kingdom to celebrate the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.
Representing the Republic, he served at the demoted rank of secretary and military attaché to Special Envoy
Samuel Mills Damon
Samuel Mills Damon (March 13, 1845 – July 1, 1924) was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii.
Life
Damon was born in Honolulu on March 13, 1845.
His father was ...
.
[; ; ; ] In January 1898, he accompanied President Dole and his wife to Washington, DC, also in the role of secretary and military attaché.
After annexation
When the United States annexed Hawaii and established the
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
, Iaukea became involved in local politics as a member of the
Democratic Party of Hawaii
The Democratic Party of Hawaii ( haw, ʻAoʻao Demokalaka o Hawaiʻi) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Hawaii.
The party is a centralized organization established to promote the party platform as drafted in convention ...
. In the general election of 1904, he unsuccessfully challenged Prince
Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole
Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (March 26, 1871 – January 7, 1922) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until it was overthrown by a coalition of American and European businessmen in 1893. He later went on to become a representative in the Te ...
, a
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 ...
, for the position of congressional delegate from Hawaii on the Democratic ticket. In the 1906 election, he was elected as the second
sheriff of the
County of Honolulu, succeeding Arthur M. Brown. He served in this position from 1907 to 1909.
He was a trustee of the
Queen's Medical Center
The Queen's Medical Center, originally named and still commonly referred to as Queen's Hospital, is the largest private non-profit hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. The institution was founded in 1859 by Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV, and i ...
from 1905 to 1909.
He served as a Democratic member of the Territorial Senate from 1913 to 1915, representing the Third District of Oahu. Under the Democratic Governor
Charles J. McCarthy, Iaukea was appointed by President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
as the Secretary of Hawaii from May 3, 1917, to October 12, 1921, and acting governor of the Territory from December 30, 1919, to March 30, 1920.
After the death of
Joseph Oliver Carter, Iaukea became the private secretary and business agent of Liliʻuokalani. From 1909 to 1917, he served in this role and became a trustee of The Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust, a charitable trust established by the queen to manage her landholdings and estate after her death.
Iaukea and his wife Charlotte were at Liliʻuokalani's side when she died in 1917. He was the one who raised her royal standard (flag) over Washington Place to signal her death, and was in charge of planning
Liliʻuokalani's state funeral. He served as an honorary pallbearer during the funeral procession while his son Frederick Hank Iaukea served as an active pallbearer carrying the
catafalque
A catafalque is a raised bier, box, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of a dead person during a Christian funeral or memorial service. Following a Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, a catafalque ...
bearing the casket of the queen to her final resting place for entombment with her family members in the Kalākaua Crypt of the
Royal Mausoleum of Mauna ʻAla.
As a former chamberlain, and one of the last surviving representatives of the former dynasty, he had planned the royal funerals 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. ...
in 1899, Prince
David Kawānanakoa
David Laʻamea Kahalepouli Kinoiki Kawānanakoa (February 19, 1868 – June 2, 1908) was a prince of the Hawaiian Kingdom and founder of the House of Kawānanakoa. He was in the line of succession to the Hawaiian throne. After Hawaii's annexatio ...
in 1908, and Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole in 1922. He was chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission from 1933 to 1935, member of the Archives Commission from 1937 and custodian of the throne room of Iolani Palace from 1937.
Iaukea died in Honolulu, on March 5, 1940, at the age of 84.
He was buried at the
Oahu Cemetery
The Oahu Cemetery is the resting place of many notable early residents of the Honolulu area. They range from missionaries and politicians to sports pioneers and philosophers. Over time it was expanded to become an area known as the Nuuanu Cemete ...
.
As the last surviving court member of the defunct monarchy, Iaukea was regarded as an important authority on the past during his lifetime but also as a positive example of those who adapted to the changing politics of the islands. His great-great-granddaughter Sydney Lehua Iaukea noted:
Curtis P. Iaukea not only embodied these changes but was directly implicated in this process as a permanent figure in the government of both the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Territory of Hawai‘i. Toward the end of his life, he was celebrated as one Hawaiian who made the leap to American citizenry successfully ...
Curtis P. Iaukea was celebrated as a Hawaiian who survived the monarchy and lived to tell about it. He was also regarded as representing all that was apparently good about becoming American, even though until the end of his life the photos of my great-great-grandfather show him proudly wearing the uniforms and medals that accompanied his trips to faraway places as a diplomat for the Hawaiian Kingdom. He was never pictured wearing his uniforms, after the fact, for the Republic of Hawai‘i as its official diplomat. Even so, the territorial government regularly drew on his memories to close the gap between the Hawaiian Kingdom and the territory and in order to legitimize its own existence in the process. It needed to insert its inevitability into the historical narrative, and used my great-great-grandfather’s public memories to represent its "evidence of inheritance."
Personal life
![Charlotte K](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Charlotte_K._Hanks_%28PP-73-3-022%29.jpg)
Iaukea married Charlotte Kahaloipua Hanks (1856–1936) on April 7, 1877. They had met through the acquaintanceship of Charlotte's aunt Uwini Auld and Queen Emma. The only daughter of American businessman Frederick Leslie Hanks and Chinese-Hawaiian Akini, Charlotte was of mixed-Caucasian, Native Hawaiian and Chinese descent. Her father was allegedly a relative of
Nancy Hanks, the mother of President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, and had settled in Hawaii after his second visit in 1853. A descendant of the Kahaloipua line of chiefs, her genealogy was considered of a higher rank than her husband. Her maternal grandfather was the early Chinese businessman Tyhune (i.e. Wong Tai-hoon), who owned the Tyhune Store in downtown Honolulu from the 1830s to the 1850s and invested in sugar, shipping, merchandise, and liquor sales. She inherited lands in Waikiki and Honolulu from her maternal grandmother Wahinekapu, a Hawaiian chiefess and the daughter or sister of Kahanaumaikai, who had been a recipient of land in the
Great Māhele. Charlotte served as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Kapiʻolani, and was a close friend of Liliʻuokalani. During the monarchy, she received the honor of Knight Companion of the
Royal Order of Kapiolani
The Royal Order of Kapiʻolani (''Kapiʻolani e Hoʻokanaka'') was instituted on August 30, 1880 by King Kalākaua to recognize services in the cause of humanity, for merit in Science and the Arts, or for special services rendered to the Kingdom ...
.
The couple had two children: a son named Frederick Hanks Nalaniahi Iaukea (1881–1944) and a daughter named Lorna Kahilipuaokalani Iaukea (1885–1973), who married Edward B. Watson.
[; ; ; ]
Before his death, Iaukea had hired writer and researcher Jeanne Hobbs to write his memoir entrusting her with many of his personal papers. However, he later sued her for not finishing the memoir and demanded the return of these papers, but died before getting them back. Reclaiming these documents from Hobbs after her death in 1953, his daughter Lorna wrote and published the book ''By Royal Command: The Official Life and Personal Reminiscences of Colonel Curtis Piehu Iaukea at the Court of Hawaii's Rulers'' using the personal writings of her father. In 2012, his great-great-granddaughter Sydney Lehua Iaukea wrote '' The Queen and I: A Story of Dispossessions and Reconnections in Hawaiʻi'', a book about Iaukea and the role he played in the estate of Queen Liliʻuokalani. Other notable descendants of Iaukea and Charlotte include writer Lesley Kehaunani Iaukea, and professional wrestlers
King Curtis Iaukea
Curtis Piehau Iaukea III (September 15, 1937 – December 4, 2010) was an American professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional U.S. promotions, both as a single and in vario ...
and
Rocky Iaukea.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Iaukea, Curtis Piehu
1855 births
1940 deaths
Native Hawaiian politicians
Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Privy Council
Governors of Oahu
Members of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature
20th-century American politicians
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun
Hawaii Democrats
Hawaiian Kingdom chamberlains
Ambassadors of the Hawaiian Kingdom
ʻIolani School alumni
Hawaiian Kingdom military officers
Republic of Hawaii military officers
Recipients of the Royal Order of Kalākaua
Recipients of the Royal Order of Kapiolani
Recipients of the Royal Order of the Star of Oceania
Adjutants General of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Hawaii sheriffs
Hawaiian Kingdom Anglicans