Sunday, March 26, 2006

March 26 is Prince Kuhio Day in Hawaii

Prince Kuhio Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole was born in Koloa, Kauai on March 26, 1871. When the Kalakaua Dynasty assumed the throne of Hawaii in 1884, Jonah Kuhio was declared a prince. He was next in line to become king when the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1893. In the late 1800's he was sentenced to a year in prison for his role in a Hawaiian uprising against Sanford Dole's newly formed Republic of Hawaii. After his release from prison, he joined the British Army to fight in the South African Boer War, and he remained in Africa until that war ended in 1902. When he returned to Hawaii he was elected to served in the United States Congress as the Territorial Delegate from Hawaii. The achievements for which he is credited include the dredging of Pearl Harbor and establishing the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Prince Kuhio died in Waikiki on January 7, 1922. He is buried on the island of Oahu at the Royal Mausoleum in Nuuanu.

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