Samuel Wilder King (December 17, 1886March 24, 1959) was the eleventh
Territorial 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 Constitution of Hawaii, Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 thro ...
and served from 1953 to 1957. He was appointed to the office after the term of
Oren E. Long. Previously, King served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
as a
delegate
Delegate or delegates may refer to:
* Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia
* Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique
* Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations
* Delegate (Unit ...
from 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 ...
. He was a member 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 ...
and was the first of
native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawa ...
descent to rise to the highest office in the territory.
Education
His father
James A. King (1832–1899) was a
ship's master
The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel. The rank can be equated to a professional seaman and specialist in navigation, rather than as a military ...
for
Samuel Gardner Wilder
Samuel Gardner Wilder (June 20, 1831 – July 28, 1888) was an American shipping magnate and politician who developed a major transportation company in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Life
Samuel Gardner Wilder was born June 20, 1831, in Leominster, ...
, and later politician in the
Republic of Hawaii. His mother was Charlotte Holmes Davis, daughter of part-Hawaiian
Robert Grimes Davis, who descended from Oliver Holmes,
Governor of Oʻahu under
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 ...
.
King was born December 17, 1886 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 ...
and was a subject of the
Kingdom of Hawai'i
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 islan ...
.
A devout
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, King attended
Saint Louis School
Saint Louis School, located in the neighborhood of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for boys. It was founded in 1846 to serve Catholics in the former Kingdom of Hawaii. Located within the Roman ...
, but graduated from McKinley High School. Upon graduating, King went on to study at the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
in
Annapolis, Maryland. He entered the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
as a commissioned officer where he served from 1910 to 1924. At the time of his discharge, he had attained the rank of lieutenant commander.
On March 18, 1912 he married Pauline Nawahineokalai Evans, another part-Hawaiian.
Early career
King returned to his hometown in 1925 where he entered the real estate profession. In 1932, he ran for his first public office and served for two years on the
Board of Supervisors of Honolulu. In 1934, King was elected to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
as a delegate. He served in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
from January 1935 to January 1943.
With the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, King resigned from Congress to accept a naval commission to become a commander, then captain. He retired from military service in 1946.
Later career
Once again, King returned to his hometown and was appointed to a sub-cabinet office of the governor's administration. King served in the Emergency Housing Committee for a year. He was then appointed to the Hawaii Statehood Commission in 1947 where he stayed until 1953.
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
appointed King to the governorship that year. He was the first governor of Hawaiian ancestry. He served in
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 ...
until his resignation on July 31, 1957. During his term in office he signed HB 706 on June 5, 1957 which outlawed the
death penalty in Hawaii. It became Act 282. He died in Honolulu March 24, 1959, just before Hawaii achieved statehood. He was buried in the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (informally known as Punchbowl Cemetery) is a national cemetery located at Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu, Hawaii. It serves as a memorial to honor those men and women who served in the United St ...
.
Descendants
His son
Samuel Pailthorpe King (1916–2010) became a lawyer and Federal Judge. His grandson, Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr. also became a lawyer and in 1985 established his own law practice with his wife, Adrienne King, also a lawyer, as King and King, Attorneys-At-Law. His great-grandson, Samuel Wilder King II, is also a lawyer now practicing in Honolulu, and in 2015, he named his own son Samuel Wilder King III.
Legacy
In 2018, King was the subject of the short documentary ''Samuel Wilder King: Hawaii Statehood'' directed by Carolina Gratianne and produced by
Daniel Bernardi
Daniel Leonard Bernardi (born June 16, 1964) is a professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University, founder and President oEl Dorado Filmsand Commander in the United States Navy Reserve. Bernardi earned a Bachelor of Arts in Radio-TV (1984) ...
with the collaboration of El Dorado Films, the Veteran Documentary Corps, and the King family.
See also
*
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Samuel Wilder
1886 births
1959 deaths
20th-century American politicians
United States Navy personnel of World War I
United States Navy personnel of World War II
American people of Native Hawaiian descent
Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from the Territory of Hawaii
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii
Governors of the Territory of Hawaii
Hawaii Republicans
Native Hawaiian politicians
People from Honolulu
Tanager Expedition
United States Naval Academy alumni
United States Navy officers
Burials in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific