William Charles Achi Jr.

William Charles Achi Jr. was born July 1, 1889, in Honolulu. His father, William Charles Achi, was a political figure in both the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Territory of Hawaii, following annexation by the United States.

Achi attended a diverse collection of colleges, beginning with St. Louis College in Honolulu in 1904, followed by Oahu College in 1908, Stanford University from 1909 to 1911 (where he was a member of both the Stanford varsity baseball team and the Stanford University Symphony Orchestra), Yale University from 1911 to 1912, and the University of Chicago from 1912 to 1913.[1] He completed his B.A. at the University of Michigan in 1914, becoming the first Native Hawaiian to receive a degree from that institution,[2] thereafter receiving a B.L. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1917.[1] He authored of number of college songs during this period, including "Sons of the Stanford Red", "Sons of Eli" and "Fight, Men of Michigan", and wrote a comic opera, the "Pranks of Paprika", while at the University of Chicago.[1]

Admitted to the territorial courts on November 6, 1917,[1] he was in private practice with his father until 1919.[1] On November 19, 1919, Achi was appointed to a four-year term as judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of the Territory of Hawaii by President Woodrow Wilson.[1] He was continually reappointed to the position until July 14, 1934, when Franklin D. Roosevelt instead appointed Carrick Hume Buck.[3] The replacement was motivated, at least in part, by an internal feud between territorial delegate Lincoln L. McCandless and Achi's close friend, Honolulu mayor John H. Wilson.[3]

Achi married Rebecca Kaulani Kruce at Kainaliu in the Kona District of the island of Hawaii, on June 7, 1911.[4] They had six children: William Charles III, Richard Kelii, Mary Ann, Rebecca Kaohuleilani, Lincoln Leleiwi, and Stanley Alapai.[1] He died in a Honolulu hospital on June 17, 1947.[5]