William Pitt Leleiohoku I (March 31, 1821 – October 21, 1848) was a Hawaiian noble during 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 ...
who married two notable princesses and served as
Royal Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii Island ( haw, Kiaaina o na Mokupuni o Hawaii) 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. ...
island.
Leleiohoku was born on March 31, 1821 in
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with Kailua, Honolulu County, Hawaii, a community located o ...
. He was the son of the Prime Minister
Kalanimoku
William Pitt Kalanimoku or Kalaimoku ( – February 7, 1827) was a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom during the reigns of Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and the beginning of the reign of Kamehameha III. ...
who was called ''The Iron Pillar of Hawaii'' and took the English name of William Pitt after British Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
. His mother was Kiliwehi, the daughter of King
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. T ...
.
She named him in honor of the date of death of Kamehameha on the Hawaiian calendar, on the night of ''Hoku, Kaelo'' (May 14); ''Leleiohoku'' means ''"Fled in the time of Hoku"'' in the
Hawaiian language
Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...
.
Other accounts give his mother as Kuwahine, who was another wife of Kalanimoku and a daughter of Governor
Kaikioʻewa
Kaikioʻewa ( - April 10, 1839) was a cousin of Kamehameha I and the first governor of Kauai The Governor of Kauai ( haw, Kiaaina o Kauai) was the Governor, royal governor or viceroy of the Kauai, island of Kauai and Niʻihau, island of Niihau dur ...
of Kauai and Piʻipiʻi Kalanikaulihiwakama, Kamehameha I's half-sister.
He was considered of the highest hereditary descent after the king.
He was ''
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 ...
'' (adopted) by
John Adams Kuakini
John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini (1789–1844) was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for contributing to the infrastructure among other changes in the Kona District during this era. ...
, who was Governor of
Hawaii Island
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of t ...
and brother of the powerful Queen
Kaahumanu.
He attended
Lahainaluna Seminary ran by the American missionaries and converted to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
.
He was married in November 25, 1835, to the
Princess Nāhienaena when he was only 14; the princess was 6 years his senior. The marriage had been arranged by the missionaries to halt a sibling marriage between King
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name is Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K ...
and Nāhienaena. Their Christian wedding was held in
Wainee Church. It was not a happy union. He inherited little of his father's land because Kalanimoku, shortly before his death, made a verbal will leaving his entire property to his niece
Kekauōnohi, the previous queen of King
Kamehameha II
Kamehameha II (November 1797 – July 14, 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani. It was lengthened to Kalani Kaleiʻaimoku o Kaiwikapu o Laʻ ...
. Kekauōnohi, although only a cousin of Leleiohoku, was regarded according to ancient Hawaiian customs as his sister. It appears that Kalanimoku made a verbal disposition of his property to her (who was older than Leleiohoku) and willed that he should be the ''kanaka'' living under her.
Nāhienaena became ill after a failed pregnancy and died in 1836 at age 21. The child was said to be his but probably could have been
Kauikeaouli's. Leleiohoku married a second time to
Princess Ruth Keelikōlani, who was daughter of
Kalani Pauahi
Pauahi (c.1804–1826) was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the House of Kamehameha. Referred as Pauahi in her lifetime, she is often referred to as Kalanipauahi or Kalani Pauahi to differentiate her from her niece and name ...
and
Kekuanaoa. He had a son
John William Pitt Kīnaʻu from his second wife. He served as an original member of the
House of Nobles in 1841–1846, and on the Kings Privy Council from 1845 to 1846. His foster father Kuakini died in 1844 and he inherited the
governorship of the Big Island.
He inherited the
Hulihee Palace
This is a non-exhaustive list of facial hairstyles.
Moustache styles
A moustache is defined as any facial hair grown specifically on the upper lip. There are many different types of moustache, but all differentiate between hair grown exclusivel ...
which he passed to his wife.
He died on October 21, in the
measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
epidemic of 1848, at Kekauōnohi's house, aged 27.
The funeral services for Leleiohoku,
Moses Kekūāiwa
Moses Kekūāiwa (July 20, 1829 – November 24, 1848) was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Early life and family
Kekūāiwa was born on July 20, 1829, in Honolulu, as noted by American merchant Stephen Reynolds, who calle ...
, and
Kaiminaauao were held on December 30, 1848; they were interred in the Royal Cemetery.
His widow lived on and inherited her husband's properties after their son died at age 17. Keelikolani showed her love for him when she named her ''hānai'' son
Leleiohoku II
William Pitt Leleiohoku II, born Kalahoʻolewa (January 10, 1855 – April 9, 1877), was a prince of the Hawaiian Kingdom and member of the reigning House of Kalākaua.
At birth, Leleiohoku was ''hānai'' (informally adopted) by Keʻelikōlani ...
, after her deceased husband Leleiohoku. He was buried on the grounds of the current
Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning "Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal."
It may refer to:
*ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii
*ʻIolani Palac ...
and later remove to the
Mauna ʻAla Royal Mausoleum.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leleiohoku 01
1821 births
1848 deaths
Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Hawaiian Kingdom politicians
House of Kekaulike
House of Kamehameha
Infectious disease deaths in Hawaii
People from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Governors of Hawaii (island)
Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Nobles
Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Privy Council
Hawaiian adoptees (hānai)
Burials at the Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla)
Lahainaluna School alumni
Deaths from measles