Samuel Mahuka Spencer (18 Jul 1874–28 Feb 1960) was a Hawaii island politician. Spencer Beach Park Big Island

Spencer was born in the area in 1875, and died on February 28, 1960. He was named for Samual Mahuka who was a judge in the area from 1893 to 1901. He served as the chairman and executive officer of the Hawaii County Board of Supervisors 1924–1944, and some minor offices in the Territory of Hawaii.

Park

In 2003 the park was renamed to include the original name of the beach, ''Ōhai ula''. The beach could have been named for the red ''

Sesbania tomentosa ''Sesbania tomentosa'', commonly known as Oahu riverhemp and ''ōhai'', is an endangered species of plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the main Hawaiian Islands as well as Nihoa and Necker Island. It inhabits low shrublands ...

'' trees that originally grew in the area, or the royal poinciana tree ''

Delonix regia ''Delonix regia'' is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical par ...

''. The Samuel M. Spencer Beach Park in the Kohala area of the

Big Island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the U.S. state, state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of High island, volcanic ...

is a favorite camping and snorkeling location. On July 18, 1935 Spencer planted one of the banyan trees lining the "

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

Walk of Fame" on Banyan Drive. As county chairman Spencer was responsible for some of the access improvements to the Waipio Valley. Some refer to him as a former postmaster in the area, but no record exists. Sources claiming the post office for Waimea, Hawaii County, Hawaii is called "Kamuela", the equivalent of Samuel 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 ...

for Spencer lack a primary source. The beach is a terminus for a segment of the Southern Cross Cable, the major

Submarine communications cable A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables laid beginning in the 1850s carried tel ...

connecting to the island.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Samuel M. 1875 births 1960 deaths Territory of Hawaii officials Kamehameha Schools alumni Beaches of Hawaii (island)