Robert Lewers (March 15, 1836 – November 3, 1926) was a businessman during the Kingdom of Hawaii, Republic of Hawaii, and Territory of Hawaii. Born in New York City, he accompanied his cousin Christopher H. Lewers to Honolulu. The two of them worked to build a lumber firm, and benefited from the influx of sugar plantation customers following the

Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 The Treaty of reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom ( Hawaiian: ''Kuʻikahi Pānaʻi Like'') was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. T ...

. Upon the death of Christopher, Robert continued the business and in 1880, he and partner

Charles Montague Cooke Charles Montague Cooke (May 6, 1849 – August 27, 1909) was a businessman during the Kingdom of Hawaii, Republic of Hawaii, and Territory of Hawaii. Life Charles Montague Cooke was born May 6, 1849 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was Amos Starr ...

renamed it Lewers & Cooke, Ltd.

Early life and career

He was born in New York City on March 15, 1836. His parents were William and Mary Lowe Lewers. His cousin Christopher H. Lewers (C. H. Lewers) preceded him to Hawaii and, along with partner J. G. Dickson, established the Lewers & Dickson lumber business. A few years later, C. H. Lewers enjoyed a sojourn on America's east coast, and returned to Hawaii on February 21, 1856, with his cousin Robert in tow. After employment in a variety of carpentry jobs, Robert went to work for his cousin C. H. in 1860. Initially, business was modest, but the economic prosperity from the

trickled down to the lumber industry as sugar plantations had increasing needs for on-site construction materials. C.H. died in 1877, at which time Robert Lewers and

(C. M. Cooke) formed a partnership with Dickson. Frederick J. Lowrey became employed there in 1879. Upon the 1880 death of Dickson, the firm became Lewers & Cooke, Ltd. Breaking away from the norms of businesses of that era, the new partnership stipulated in their articles of incorporation that the directors be given the discretion of making corporate contributions towards the social and religious benefit of the community. Lowrey was made a partner in 1886, and became president in 1901. Transporting lumber evolved during Lewers' association with the company, from drays and hand carts to motorized vehicles. Two

schooners A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

were launched for the importation of lumber, the first of which bore his name. The ''Robert Lewers'' was built in 1889 in

Port Blakely, Bainbridge Island, Washington Port Blakely is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington in the western United States. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The center of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Ro ...

. She was based in San Francisco, California, and went aground at

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, in 1923. The schooner ''Alice Cooke'' was named for the daughter of corporate partner Cooke. Sometime after 1926, the schooner was sold and eventually destroyed by fire. In 1889, Lewers was one of the founding partners of the

Oahu Railway and Land Company The Oahu Railway and Land Company, or OR&L, was a narrow gauge common carrier railway that served much of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and was the largest narrow gauge class one common carrier in the U.S, until its dissolution in 1947. Origin T ...

Personal life

Lewers was a volunteer fireman, belonged to the Oʻahu Bethel Church, and shared his good fortune with others. His fraternal and civic memberships included the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Oahu Country Club, the Odd Fellows and the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. He maintained social ties within the Hawaiian community, and every Christmas hosted a breakfast for them in his home. Not being part of any political affiliations, he played no part in the

Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom The overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a ''coup d'état'' against Queen Liliʻuokalani, which took place on January 17, 1893, on the island of Oahu and led by the Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign residents and six non-aborig ...

, and subsequent government changes. However, during a period of political upheaval when Hawaiians were barred from his neighborhood, Lewers had the Christmas breakfast delivered to them. Lewers married

Catherine Rebecca Carter Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

on July 16, 1867. She was born February 24, 1844, in Honolulu, the only daughter of Massachusetts sea captain Joseph Oliver Carter (1802–1850) and his wife Hannah Trufant Lord (1809–1898). Brothers Joseph O. Carter (1835–1909),

Henry A. P. Carter Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter, also known as Henry Augustus Peirce Carter (August 7, 1837 – November 1, 1891), was an American businessman, politician, and diplomat in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Family life Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter was born Au ...

(1837–1891), Samuel Morrill Carter (1838–1893) and Frederick William Carter (1842–1860) were also born in Honolulu. Her brother Alfred Wellington Carter (1840–1890) was born aboard the ship Caliope off the coast of Tahiti. Robert and Catherine had two children, William Henry Lewers and Harriett Layman Lewers. No individual invitations were sent for their 50th wedding anniversary celebration, in order for all who wanted to come to feel welcome. The resultant crowd was estimated in excess of 300 well-wishers. Catherine died December 31, 1924, just eight weeks after the November 3 death of her husband. The two-story beach-front home he built for his family in 1883 was at the end of what is now Lewers Street in Waikiki, currently the location of the Halekulani hotel.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewers (Hawaii), Robert 1836 births 1924 deaths Businesspeople from Honolulu Businesspeople from New York City 20th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople Hawaiian Kingdom people