Quentin Kūhiō Kawānanakoa (born September 28, 1961) is an American politician and member of the

House of Kawānanakoa The House of Kawānanakoa, or the Kawānanakoa Dynasty, are descendants to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Origins A collateral branch of the reigning House of Kalākaua (from Kauaʻi island) and descendants of chiefs of areas such as ...

. Kawānanakoa is an organizer of the

Republican Party of Hawaii The Hawaii Republican Party ( haw, ʻAoʻao Lepupalika o Hawaiʻi) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP) in Hawaii, headquartered in Honolulu. The party was initially strong during Hawaii's territorial days, but following statehood the ...

. He is also an heir to the

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 ...

estate.

Early years

Kawānanakoa was born September 28, 1961. He was the second son of his father Edward A. Kawānanakoa and his mother Carolyn Willison Kawānanakoa. He was raised 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 ...

where he graduated from

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, 12th grade. Protestant missionar ...

. Kawānanakoa went on to study at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. He returned to

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

and graduated from the

William S. Richardson School of Law The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William ...

. Upon obtaining his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree, he served in private practice at the law firm Case, Bigelow & Lombardi until 2000. He was a member of the inaugural 1997 class of the Pacific Century Fellows.

Political life

In 1994, Kawānanakoa followed in his ancestors' footsteps and got involved in politics. Like his great-grandmother

Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa Abigail Wahiikaahuula Campbell Kawānanakoa (also known as Princess David Kawānanakoa, January 1, 1882 – April 12, 1945) was a politician and Princess of Hawaii. Life Abigail Campbell was born January 1, 1882, in Honolulu. She was born in ...

and great uncle Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole, Kawānanakoa joined the

for its pro-business stance. He ran and won an election for the Hawai`i State House of Representatives, an office he served through 1998. He rose through the ranks of party leadership becoming minority floor leader. During an attempt to mount a challenge for the Congressional seat held by

Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Buffalo, New York, Abercrombie is a graduate of Union College and th ...

, Kawānanakoa abruptly retired from active political life after being hospitalized. In April 2006, after eight years out of the public eye, Kawānanakoa announced his run for the Congressional seat held by

Ed Case Edward Espenett Case (born September 27, 1952) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician serving as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district, which covers the urban core of Honolulu. He represented the 2nd distr ...

, who chose not to run for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. He declared his candidacy on April 23, 2006. In the primary elections held on September 24, 2006, Kawānanakoa was defeated by State Senator

Robert Hogue The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

. The final vote total was Hogue: 8,393 votes (45.6%) vs. Kawānanakoa: 8,194 votes (44.5%). Senator Hogue went on to lose to

Mazie Hirono Mazie Keiko Hirono (; Japanese name: , ; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of t ...

. In 2008, Kawānanakoa unsuccessfully ran for the

Hawaii State House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consis ...

. His opponent in the November 4, 2008, election was Democrat Chris Kalani Lee. Lee won with 5,885 votes to Kawānanakoa's 3,374 votes.

Family

In September 1995, Kawānanakoa married Elizabeth Broun, a native of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. Their first child, Kincaid Kawānanakoa, was born in June 1997. In December 1999, their second child, Riley, was born. Quentin is the great-grandson of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa through his paternal grandmother

Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa Abigail Helen Kapiʻolani Kawānanakoa (March 14, 1903 – April 8, 1961) was a member of the House of Kawānanakoa and the eldest daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa. Life She was born in Honolulu, ...

Tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawananakoa, Quentin 1961 births Living people Politicians from Honolulu People from Monterey, California House of Kawānanakoa Republican Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives Punahou School alumni University of Southern California alumni University of Hawaiʻi alumni Hawaii lawyers Pretenders to the Hawaiian throne Princes of Hawaii American people of Scotch-Irish descent American people of English descent American people of Native Hawaiian descent Native Hawaiian people Asian conservatism in the United States