Kalākaua's Cabinet Ministers

When King Kalākaua began his reign on February 12, 1874, the monarch was constitutionally empowered to appoint and remove the Kingdom of Hawaii cabinet ministers. The four cabinet positions were Attorney General, Ministrer of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior. The royal cabinet ministers were also ex-officio members of the House of Nobles in the legislature and the Privy Council of State, a larger body of advisors.

King Kalākaua painting by William F. Cogswell

The 1875 Reciprocity Treaty with the United States eliminated tariffs on the kingdom's sugar exports, bringing an accelerated upswing in the Hawaii's economic prosperity. The criteria for appointment to the cabinet changed from being qualified to advise the head of state, to being willing to enable the monarch's chosen course of state. Kalākaua and Legislative Assembly Finance Chair Walter Murray Gibson responded with reckless spending and grandiose schemes.[1]

Frustrated by his cabinet, the king dismissed them all on August 14, 1880. Samuel Gardner Wilder was replaced by John E. Bush as Minister of the Interior. Attorney General Edward Preston was replaced by W. Claude Jones. Minister of Finance Simon Kaloa Kaʻai was replaced by Moses Kuaea.[2][3] Celso Caesar Moreno was denied recognition by the diplomatic corps stationed in Hawaii when he replaced Minister of Foreign Affairs John Mākini Kapena. Moreno resigned on August 18.[4][5]

Gibson was appointed to the cabinet in 1882, and would eventually become its Prime Minister. Concerns were addressed in a written statement from businessmen to Kalākaua, "... the course of Your Majesty's present Ministry is not conducive to the public interest, nor the interest of Your Majesty ..."[6] They accused the Ministry of influence peddling in elections and manipulation of legislative governance. The warning was brushed off by Gibson, with no response from Kalākaua.[7] The Gibson cabinet dissolved July 1, 1887, ushering in the so-called Reform Cabinet.[8][9][10] The Committee of Thirteen business men drafted what became known as the Bayonet Constitution,[11] codifying the legislature as the supreme authority over actions by the monarch. Kalākaua was given no alternative but to sign the document on July 6.[12]

The Reform Cabinet eventually fell to internal discord, replaced with a new cabinet on June 17, 1890, consisting of Attorney General Arthur P. Peterson, Finance Minister Godfrey Brown, Foreign Affairs Minister John Adams Cummins, and Interior Minister Charles Nichols Spencer.[13] When Kalākaua died on January 20, 1891, Peterson, Brown and Cummins were held over until Queen regnant Liliʻuokalani replaced them on February 25. Spencer remained in her cabinet until September 12, 1892, when he was replaced by Charles T. Gulick.

Cabinet ministers 1874–1891
Name Portrait Cabinet post Notes Ref(s)
Luther Aholo
Minister of the Interior
Oct 13, 1886 -July 1, 1887		 Represented Lahaina, Maui in the legislature, vice president of the Legislative Assembly 1876–1886; Postmaster General of the Kingdom 1886. [14]
William Nevins Armstrong
Attorney General
Nov 29, 1880 – Jan 17, 1881
Nov 5, 1881– May 19, 1882

Kalākaua's classmate at the Chiefs Children's School; graduate of Yale University law school; he took leave as Attorney General to join Kalākaua's 1881 world tour.

 [15]
Clarence W. Ashford
Attorney General
July 1, 1887 – June 14, 1890		 Reform cabinet; he was exiled to California for his support of Liliʻuokalani following the overthrow of the kingdom. [16]
Jonathan Austin Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dec 28, 1887 – June 17, 1890		 President of Paukaa Sugar Company [17]
Charles Reed Bishop
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Jan 10, 1873 – Feb 17, 1874		 Hold-over from Lunalilo cabinet; husband of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop; businessman and philanthropist; at Kalākaua's bedside when he died January 20, 1891. [18]
Godfrey Brown
Minister of Foreign Affairs
July 1 – Dec 28, 1887
Minister of Finance
June 17, 1890 – Feb 25, 1891		 Reform cabinet (as Minister of Foreign Affairs); after Kalākaua's death, Brown remained as finance minister until Liliʻuokalani installed Herman A. Widemann in the position. [19]
John Edward Bush
Minister of Foreign Affairs (acting)
Aug 19 – Sept 22, 1880
Minister of Finance
May 20 – Aug 8, 1882
Minister of the Interior
Aug 8, 1882 – May 14, 1883		 During the Gibson regime, Bush was special envoy to Samoa in an ill-fated attempt to form a Polynesian alliance with Samoan King Malietoa Laupepa. [20]
Henry A. P. Carter
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dec 5, 1876 – Mar 1, 1878
Attorney General (during Armstrong's absence)
Jan 17 – Nov 5, 1881		 Career diplomat; majority owner of C. Brewer & Co sugar plantation. [21]
William Richards Castle
Attorney General
Feb 15 – Dec 5, 1876		 A member of the Committee of Safety that requested American intervention in overthrowing the monarchy. [22]
Robert James Creighton
Minister of Foreign Affairs
June 30 – Oct 13, 1886		 Friend of Claus Spreckels who arrived from San Francisco in 1885 to be editor of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser; his son Charles F. Creighton briefly served as Liliʻuokalani's Attorney General. [23]
John Adams Cummins
Minister of Foreign Affairs
June 17, 1890 – Feb 25, 1891		 Maternal link to Hawaiian royalty; wealthy businessman with global social ties; after Kalākaua's death, Cummins remained until Liliʻuokalani installed Samuel Parker in the position. [24]
Samuel Mills Damon
Minister of Finance
July 22, 1889 – June 17, 1890		 Son of missionaries; became business partner of Charles Reed Bishop. [25]
John T. Dare
Attorney General
July 1- Oct 13, 1886		 Legal counsel to Claus Spreckels; Assistant District Attorney of San Francisco prior to arriving in Hawaii. [26]
Walter M. Gibson
Minister of Foreign Affairs
May 20, 1882 – June 30, 1886
Oct 13, 1886 – July 1, 1887
Attorney General (acting)
May 14- Dec 14, 1883
Sept 18, 1884 – Aug 3, 1885 (ad interim)
Minister of the Interior (acting)
May 14, 1883 – Aug 6, 1883
June 30, 1886 – Oct 13, 1886
Prime Minister
June 30, 1886 – Oct 13, 1886		 Enabled Kalākaua's excessive spending and grandiose schemes; as Legislative Assembly Finance Chair: $50,000 for a new palace, $10,000 for a coronation, and $10,000 for a statue of Kamehameha; as Prime Minister: $15,000 for the king's birthday jubilee; he encouraged a Polynesian confederation, with the king as the head: $100,000 to buy a steamship, with $50,000 for operating expenses, and $35,000 for foreign missions. [27]
William Lowthian Green
Minister of Finance
July 1, 1887 – July 22, 1889
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Feb 17, 1874 – Dec 5, 1876
Sept 22, 1880 – May 20, 1882
Minister of the Interior (acting)
May 28, 1874 – Oct 31, 1874		 Geologist and businessman; the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 was ratified while he was Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kalākaua requested Green choose a new cabinet to replace the Gibson cabinet. [28]
Charles T. Gulick
Minister of the Interior
Aug 6, 1883 – June 30, 1886
(acting) Minister of Finance
Sept 1, 1885		 Nephew of missionary Peter Johnson Gulick, he supported the monarchy and would later be sentenced for his participation in the 1895 Wilcox rebellion. [29]
Edwin Oscar Hall
Minister of the Interior
Feb 12, 1874 – Feb 17, 1874		 Hold-over from Lunalilo cabinet; replaced by Hermann A. Widemann; printer, editor and businessman, he was part of the Seventh Company of missionaries that arrived in Hawaii in 1835; served as Minister of Finance under Kamehameha III. [30]
Alfred S. Hartwell
Attorney General
Feb 18 – May 28, 1874
Dec 5, 1876 – July 3, 1878		 Justice of the Supreme Court
Sept 30, 1868 – Feb 18, 1874
The July 3, 1878 cabinet dismissal was due to pressure from Gibson, whose "want of confidence" resolution failed in the legislature, as well as pressure from Claus Spreckels who wanted water rights for his Maui plantation, and generally from Kalākaua's dissatisfaction with them.		 [31]
W. Claude Jones
Attorney General
Aug 14, 1880 – Sept 27, 1880		 An adventurer who had various careers and political connections in Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona before relocating to Hawaii in 1866; objections to his appointment as Attorney General were based on his "second-rate standing as a lawyer"; replaced by John Smith Walker. [32]
Albert Francis Judd
Attorney General
Feb 12- 19, 1874		 Hold-over from Lunalilo cabinet; appointed Associate Justice of Supreme Court of Hawaii on February 1, 1874, becoming Chief Justice on November 5, 1881. [33]
Simon Kaloa Kaʻai
Minister of Finance
July 3, 1878 – Aug 14, 1880
Aug 8, 1882 – Feb 13, 1883
Minister of the Interior
May 20, 1882 – Aug 8, 1882		 After the Moreno affair, Kaʻai defended Kalākaua's right to choose his ministers. [34]
Paul Puhiula Kanoa
Minister of Finance
June 30, 1886 – July 1, 1887		 Membership in Hale Nauā Society, founded by Kalākaua and others to foster native Hawaiian leaders in governmental and public service. [35]
John Mākini Kapena
Minister of Finance
Dec 5, 1876 – July 3, 1878
Feb 13, 1883 – June 30, 1886
Minister of Foreign Affairs
July 3, 1878 – Aug 14, 1880		 The July 3, 1878 cabinet dismissal was due to pressure from Gibson, whose "want of confidence" resolution failed in the legislature, from Claus Spreckels who wanted water rights for his Maui plantation, and generally from Kalākaua's dissatisfaction with them. [36]
John Lot Kaulukoʻu
Attorney General
Oct 13- Oct 23, 1886		 Membership in Hale Nauā Society, founded by Kalākaua and others to foster native Hawaiian leaders in governmental and public service. [37]
Moses Kuaea
Minister of Finance
Aug 14 – Sept 27, 1880		 Pastor of Kaumakapili Church, with no political background. [38]
William Luther Moehonua
Minister of the Interior
Oct 31, 1874 – Dec 5, 1876		 Member of the 1874 legislature which elected Kalākaua
Chamberlain to the Royal Household, 1874
Resigned in 1876 to become Governor of Maui		 [39]
Celso Caesar Moreno
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Aug 14–19 1880		 Resigned when denied recognition by the diplomatic corps stationed in Hawaii; traveled to Italy as guardian of four youths studying under Education of Hawaiian Youths Abroad; removed of his guardianship when it was discovered he misrepresented them as Kalākaua's family. [40]
John Mott-Smith
Minister of the Interior
December 5, 1876
July 3, 1878		 Editor of the Hawaiian Gazette, and supporter of the monarchy. The July 3, 1878 cabinet dismissal was due to pressure from Gibson, whose "want of confidence" resolution failed in the legislature, and from Claus Spreckels who wanted water rights for his Maui plantation, and generally from Kalākaua's dissatisfaction with them. [41]
Paul Nahaolelua
Minister of Finance
Feb 17 – Oct 31, 1874		 Former Governor of Maui, President of the Legislative Assembly 1870–1874 [42]
Paul Neumann
Attorney General
Dec 14, 1883 – June 30, 1886		 Attorney and California politician alleged to be on the payroll of Claus Spreckels; appointed to the cabinet by Gibson. [43]
Arthur P. Peterson
Attorney General
June 17, 1890– Feb 25, 1891		 After Kalākaua's death on January 20, 1891. Peterson remained as finance minister until Liliʻuokalani installed William Austin Whiting in the position. [44]
Edward Preston
Attorney General
July 13, 1878 – Aug 14, 1880
May 19, 1882 – May 14, 1883		 Resigned over what he perceived as the Cabinet's racial favoritism towards native Hawaiians. [45]
Antone Rosa
Attorney General
Nov 15, 1886 – June 28, 1887		 Membership in Hale Nauā Society, founded by Kalākaua and others to foster native Hawaiian leaders in governmental and public service. [46]
Charles Nichols Spencer
Minister of the Interior
June 17, 1890– Sept 12, 1892		 Held over in Liliuokalani's cabinet after Kalākaua's January 20, 1891 death [47]
Richard H. Stanley Attorney General
May 28, 1874 – Nov 5, 1875		 Died in office [48]
Lorrin Andrews Thurston
Minister of the Interior
July 1, 1887 – Sept 27, 1888
Oct 27, 1888 – June 17, 1890		 Reform cabinet; grandson of Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston, of the first company of Christian missionaries in Hawaii; one of the authors of the 1887 Bayonet Constitution. [49]
John Smith Walker
Minister of Finance
Oct 31, 1874 – December 5, 1876
Sept 27, 1880 – May 20, 1882
Attorney General
Nov 5, 1875 – Feb 15, 1876		 Mercantile; import-export business [50]
Hermann A. Widemann
Minister of the Interior
Feb 17, 1874– May 28, 1874		 Justice of the Supreme Court
July 10, 1869 – Feb 18, 1874
Appointed by Kamehameha V
 [51]
Samuel Gardner Wilder
Minister of the Interior
July 3, 1878– Aug 14, 1880		 Business magnate and political supporter of Kalākaua, he achieved success in the steamship business, as well as sugar plantation railway transportation. [52]

See also

References
  1. Dole 1936, p. 44–45.
  2. Kuykendall 1967, pp. 213–225
  3. "Editorial and etc". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. August 21, 1880. p. Image 2. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  4. Kuykendall 1967, pp. 214–220
  5. "Gazette Extra". The Hawaiian Gazette. August 19, 1880. p. Image 1. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  6. "The Planters' Memorial: To His Majesty Kalakaua". The Honolulu Advertiser. October 23, 1882. Retrieved December 23, 2018.icon of an open green padlock
  7. Thurston 1936, p. 92.
  8. Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 175, 178, 287.
  9. Kuykendall 1967, pp. 364–365, 411–412.
  10. "Jonathan Austin appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs". Evening Bulletin. December 29, 1887. Retrieved December 22, 2018.icon of an open green padlock
  11. Kuykendall 1967, p. 370
  12. Kuykendall 1967, p. 367.
  13. Kuykendall 1967, p. 461.
  14. "Aholo, Luther office record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Retrieved July 27, 2016.; "Aholo Dead". The Hawaiian Gazette. March 20, 1888. p. 5, col 3.
  15. Yale University 1905, pp. 567–568; "City Directory: The Cabinet". Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands: The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. December 4, 1880. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  16. Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 175, 178, 288; "Clarence W. Ashford obit July 1921". Honolulu Advertiser at Newspapers.com. July 3, 1921. Retrieved September 25, 2018.icon of an open green padlock
  17. Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 175, 178, 287; "Jonathan Austin President of Paukaa Sugar Co". The Hawaiian Gazette. November 29, 1887. Retrieved December 22, 2018.icon of an open green padlock
  18. Kuykendall 1967, p. 473; "Bishop, Charles R. office record". state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2010-03-09.; "Bishop, Charles Reed Index (rev. 2004)". kapalama.ksbe.edu. The Kamehameha Schools Archives.
  19. Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 178, 287; Kuykendall 1967, p. 461
  20. "Bush, John Edward office record". state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2010.; Harold M. Sewall (1899). "Partition of Samoa and the Past Relations Between that Group and the United States". Annual Report. Hawaiian Historical Society: 11–27. hdl:10524/34.
  21. "Henry Carter Dead: End of the Career of Hawaii's Popular Diplomat". The Hawaiian Gazette. Honolulu. November 24, 1891. Retrieved December 26, 2018.; James F. Hunnewell (1896). "Early History of C. Brewer & Co". All about Hawaii: The recognized book of authentic information on Hawaii. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. 68–73.
  22. Lydecker 1918, pp. 139, 156, 188, 288;Congress, United States (1894). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 2288.
  23. Lydecker 1918, pp. 156, 288; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 275, 292–293; "Death of R. J. Creighton". The Hawaiian Gazette. June 6, 1893. Retrieved January 8, 2019.; "R. J. Creighton Dead". The Hawaiian Star. June 1, 1893. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  24. Lydecker 1918, pp. 127, 178, 182, 288; Riánna Williams (1996). "John Adams Cummins: Prince of Entertainers". Hawaiian Journal of History. Vol. 30. Hawaii Historical Society. pp. 153–168. hdl:10524/403.
  25. "Finance, Minister of, office record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2010.; Siddall, John William (1917). "Men of Hawaii: being a biographical reference library, complete and authentic, of the men of note and substantial achievement in the Hawaiian Islands: volume 1". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. Vol. 1, P 81.
  26. Lydecker 1918, pp. 156, 288; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 292–293, 345
  27. Lydecker 1918, pp. 139, 143, 147, 152, 156, 289; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 203, 213, 312–339, 700–701
  28. Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 175, 289; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 39, 360, 402
  29. Lydecker 1918, pp. 152, 156, 182, 289; "Prisoners Pardoned". Hawaiian gazette. Honolulu. January 3, 1896.
  30. Lydecker 1918, pp. 124, 127, 289; Hawaiian Mission Children's Society 1901, pp. 49, 53
  31. Lydecker 1918, pp. 132, 139, 290Kuykendall 1967, pp. 12–13, 199–200
  32. Lydecker 1918, pp. 113, 291; Finch, L. Boyd (Winter 1990). "William Claude Jones: The Charming Rogue Who Named Arizona". The Journal of Arizona History. Arizona Historical Society. 31 (4): 405–424. JSTOR 41695845.
  33. Lydecker 1918, p. 291; "Office Record Albert Francis Judd St" (PDF). Hawaiigov.
  34. Lydecker 1918, pp. 117, 121, 124, 127, 136, 143, 147, 291; Kuykendall 1967, p. 143
  35. Lydecker 1918, pp. 147, 152, 156, 178, 182, 293;Karpiel 1999, pp. 208–209
  36. "Kapena, John M. office record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Retrieved February 3, 2017.; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 199–200
  37. Lydecker 1918, pp. 143, 147, 152, 156, 217, 293; Karpiel 1999, pp. 208–209
  38. Kuykendall 1967, p. 214.
  39. Lydecker 1918, pp. 127, 136, 139, 296; "William Luther Moehonua Office Record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  40. Kuykendall 1967, pp. 213–225; Quigg 1988, p. 176; "Editorial and etc". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. August 21, 1880. p. Image 2. Retrieved December 26, 2018.; "Letter From Europe No. 40". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. January 29, 1881. Retrieved July 1, 2017 – via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
  41. Lydecker 1918, pp. 51, 107, 109, 117, 121, 136, 139, 143, 147, 152, 156, 297;"The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders". USGenWeb Archives.; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 199–200
  42. Kuykendall 1967, pp. 117, 188.
  43. Kuykendall 1967, pp. 267–268; "Paul Neumann Office Record". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  44. Lydecker 1918, pp. 178, 188, 298; Kuykendall 1967, p. 461
  45. Lydecker 1918, pp. 136, 139, 143, 298; "Hawaiian Politics: Opinion of the San Francisco Examiner". The Daily Bulletin. September 4, 1883. p. 2, col. 1.
  46. Lydecker 1918, p. 299; Karpiel 1999, pp. 208–209
  47. Lydecker 1918, pp. 178, 182, 299;Kuykendall 1967, p. 461
  48. "Resolutions Passed In". November 13, 1875. p. Image 2, col. 3. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  49. Lydecker 1918, pp. 172, 175, 178, 299; Hawaiian Mission Children's Society 1901, p. 7; Forbes 2003, pp. 232–233
  50. "Hon. J. S. Walker is Dead". The Hawaiian Star. May 29, 1893. p. 5, col. 1. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  51. "Judge Wiedemann Is Dead". Evening bulletin. p. 8, col. 4. Retrieved December 26, 2018.; Kuykendall 1967, pp. 12–13
  52. "The Late Hon. S. G. Wilder: Close of a Busy and Useful Life—Some of the Leading Events in Mr. Wilder's Career—The Funeral". The Hawaiian Gazette. July 31, 1888. p. 6. Retrieved December 26, 2018.; Nellist, George F. "The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders (SAMUEL GARDNER WILDER))". The Honolulu Star Bulletin.

Bibliography

Further reading
37 pages relating to the Bayonet Constitution
"A List of All the Cabinet Ministers Who Have Held Office in the Hawaiian Kingdom"
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