The United States Minister to Hawaii was an office of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

to 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 ...

during the period of 1810 to 1898. Appointed by the

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 Stat ...

with the consent of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

, the Minister to Hawaii was equivalent in rank to the present-day

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of the United States to foreign governments. As principal envoy of the United States government to the monarch of Hawaii, the Minister to Hawaii often dealt in affairs relating to

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

matters affecting both nations. The Minister to Hawaii also represented the interests of American citizens residing and working in Hawaii, conveying their concerns over United States

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

to the President of the United States. Two Ministers to Hawaii became paramount figures in the history of

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

John L. Stevens John Leavitt Stevens (August 1, 1820 – February 8, 1895) was the United States Minister to the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 when he was accused of conspiring to overthrow Queen Liliuokalani in association with the Committee of Safety, led by ...

, appointed by President Benjamin Harrison, was accused of being a conspirator in the overthrow of the monarchy of

Queen Liliuokalani Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

James Henderson Blount James Henderson Blount (September 12, 1837 – March 8, 1903) was an American statesman, soldier and congressman from Georgia. He opposed the annexation of Hawaii in 1893 in his investigation into the American involvement in the political revolut ...

, appointed by

President Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in America ...

, investigated the overthrow, submitting a report on July 17, 1893, resulting in the dismissal of Stevens from his foreign service career and the recommendation by Cleveland to restore the monarchy. Following Blount's report, and the refusal of the Provisional Government to abide by Cleveland's wishes, a Senate committee appointed by Cleveland to further investigate the matter exonerated Stevens and the U.S. peacekeepers from any role in the Hawaiian Revolution, submitting the

Morgan Report The Morgan Report was an 1894 report concluding an official U.S. Congressional investigation into the events surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, including the alleged role of U.S. military troops (both bluejackets and marines) in the ...

on February 26, 1894. Following that final investigation on the matter, Cleveland rebuffed further requests from the queen for interference and engaged in normal diplomatic relations with both the Provisional Government and the

Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...

Agents and Consuls

The first representatives were given the unpaid title of Agent for Commerce and Seamen and in 1844 given the title of Consul. There are gaps and overlaps in the dates due to the six-month journey from the eastern United States to Hawaii at the time. *

John Coffin Jones Jr. John Coffin Jones Jr. (1796 – December 24, 1861) was the first United States consul (representative), Consular Agent to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Early life John Coffin Jones Jr. was born in 1796 in Boston, Massachusetts, and baptized on June 26, ...

1820–1839 *

Peter A. Brinsmade Ladd & Company was an early business partnership in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Its founders were William Ladd (1807–1863), Peter Allen (or Allan) Brinsmade (1804–1859), and William Northey Hooper (1809–1878). The company was behind the first co ...

April 1839 – July 1844 * Alexander G. Abell July 1844 – June 1846 *

Joel Turrill Joel Turrill (February 22, 1794 – December 28, 1859) was a judge, politician, and diplomat from New York. From 1833 to 1837, he served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Life Turrill was born February 22, 1794 in Shoreham, Vermo ...

1846–1850 *

Elisha Hunt Allen Elisha Hunt Allen (January 28, 1804 – January 1, 1883) was an American congressman, lawyer and diplomat, and judge and diplomat for the Kingdom of Hawaii. Early life Elisha Hunt Allen was born January 28, 1804, in New Salem, Massachusetts. ...

1850–1853 *

Benjamin Franklin Angel Benjamin Franklin Angel (November 28, 1815 – September 11, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. Life Benjamin Franklin Angel was born in Burlington, New York, the son of Benjamin Angel and Abigail (Stickney) Angel. He studi ...

1853–1854? *

Darius A. Ogden Darius Adams Ogden (August 14, 1813 Northville, Cayuga County, New York – May 4, 1889 Penn Yan, Yates County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was the son of Ezekiel Ogden (1772–1824) and Abigail Brand ...

1854–1857 *

Abner Pratt Abner Pratt (May 22, 1801 – March 27, 1863) was an American lawyer, politician, diplomat, and jurist. Born in Springfield, Otsego County, New York, Pratt studied law and was admitted to the New York bar. Pratt served as district attorney in ...

1857—1859 *

Zephaniah Swift Spalding Zephaniah Swift Spalding (September 2, 1837– June 19, 1927) was a veteran of the American Civil War, who was first sent to Hawaii on a clandestine mission for US Secretary of State . He later moved to Hawaii and made a fortune in the sugar plant ...

1868–1869 In 1850 Charles Bunker was added as a consul in

Lahaina Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Laha ...

Commissioners

In 1843 the diplomatic representative was called Commissioner. *

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...

March 1843 – 1846 *

Anthony Ten Eyke Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton ...

1846–1849 * Charles Eames January 12, 1849 – October 29, 1849 *

Luther Severance Luther Severance (October 26, 1797 – January 25, 1855) was a United States representative and diplomat from Maine. Life He was born in Montague, Massachusetts on October 26, 1797. He moved with his parents to Cazenovia, New York in 1799. He ...

June 7, 1850 – 1853 * David L. Gregg 1853–1859 * James W. Borden 1859–1861 * Thomas J. Dryer June 15, 1861 – June 20, 1863

List of Ministers

This is a list of American Ministers (replacing the rank of Commissioner, similar to current rank of

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

) to the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1893. * James McBride – 1863 to 1866 * Edward M. McCook – 1866 to 1868 *

Henry A. Peirce Henry Augustus Peirce (December 15, 1808 – July 29, 1885) was an American businessman and diplomat. Some sources spell his last name as Pierce. Early life and business Peirce was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts (now part of Boston) on Decemb ...

– 1869 to 1877 * James M. Comly – 1877 to 1882 * Rollin M. Daggett – 1882 to 1885 * George W. Merrill – 1885 to 1889 *

– 1889 to 1893 * James H. Blount – 1893 to 1893 *

Albert Sydney Willis Albert Shelby Willis (January 22, 1843 – January 6, 1897) was a United States Representative from Kentucky and a Minister to Hawaii. Life Born in Shelbyville, Kentucky, Willis attended the common schools and graduated from the Louisvill ...

– 1893 to 1897 * Harold M. Sewall - 1897 to August 12, 1898

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:United States Minister To Hawaii United States Ministers

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

1820 establishments in the United States

Agents and Consuls

Commissioners

List of Ministers

See also

References

External links