} Irene Īʻī Brown Holloway (September 30, 1869 – August 26, 1922) was a Hawaiian philanthropist.

Early life

Irene Haalou Kahalelaukoa-Kamamalu ʻĪʻī was born in

Waipio Waipio () is a census-designated place (CDP) located on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, ''wai pio'' means "curved water". As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 12,082. The ...

, on

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

, the daughter of

John Papa ʻĪʻī Ioane "John" Kaneiakama Papa ʻĪʻī (1800–1870) was a Hawaiian politician and historian. Life ʻĪʻī was born 1800, in the month of Hilinehu, which he calculated to be August 3, in later life. He was born near the Hanaloa fishpond in Kūme ...

and Maria Kamaunauikea Kapuahi I'i. Her father was advisor to

King Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K� ...

, and later a judge. After her father's death in 1870, she was raised in the home of Reverend Charles McEwen Hyde, an American missionary. She attended Kawaiaha'o Seminary and the

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 12th grade. The school was established by P ...

Career

Irene ʻĪʻī was a social hostess and philanthropist in Hawaii. She was one of the first women elected to the Hawaiian Board of Missions. She served on charity boards, was active in the Kawaiaha'o Church and the Daughters of Hawaii, and was a trustee of the Kawaiaha'o Seminary. She visited and brought gifts for the elderly residents of the

Lunalilo Home Lunalilo Home is a Hawaiian charity that provides community living service for the elderly in need of assistance. The charity serves also other Native Hawaiians, Native Hawaiian people struggling with poverty. History The charity was founded by ...

. Her inheritance from her father's estate, including the proceeds of land sold to the United States government for the Pearl Harbor Naval Station, and her ex-husband's role as trustee of the estate, were matters of protracted legal attention.

Personal life and legacy

Irene ʻĪʻī married twice. In 1886, at age 17, she married Charles Augustus Brown, a white American businessman from Massachusetts. They had three children together. She divorced Brown in 1898, and married Carl Sheldon Holloway in 1901; he died in 1915. In widowhood she lived in Waimea. She died in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

in 1922, aged 52 years, after a short illness. In her will, she left funds which still support the Lunalilo Home. Her sons were George (1887–1946) and Francis (1892–1976), who was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and became a golf professional and developer of the Keawaiki Bay residential complex. Politician Kenneth Francis Brown was her grandson. A section of Mililani Mauka on Oahu is named after Irene Īʻī Brown Holloway.

References

External links

“Luau given by Mrs. Irene I'i Holloway”
Hawaiian Historical Society, Historical Photograph Collection
I'i/Brown Family Oral Histories
(March 1999), Center for Oral History, Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawai'i at Manoa {{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, Irene ʻĪʻī Brown 1869 births 1922 deaths People from Oahu Punahou School alumni Hawaiian Kingdom philanthropists