Haʻalilio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the House of Nobles | |
| In office 1842–1844 | |
| Monarch | Kamehameha III |
| Kingdom of Hawaii Envoy to the United States, France and Great Britain | |
| In office April 8, 1842 – December 3, 1844 | |
| Monarch | Kamehameha III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1808 Oahu,Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Died | December 3, 1844 (aged 35–36) offNew York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pohukaina orKawaiahaʻo Cemetery[1] |
| Spouse | Hana Hupa Haʻalilio |
| Alma mater | Lahainaluna School |
| Occupation | Royal Secretary, Diplomat, Politician |
Timoteo orTimothy Kamalehua Haʻalilio (1808 – December 3, 1844) was a royal secretary and first diplomat of theKingdom of Hawaii. He is best known for helping Hawaii in gaining recognition from Britain, France, and the United States as an independent sovereign nation.
Haʻalilio was born early in the 19th century, probably 1808. He was the son Koeleele (or Koelele), and his wife Kipa, in some accounts Eseta (Esther) Kipa.[1] He was the half-brother ofLevi Haʻalelea, who later became a husband of PrincessKekauōnohi.[2][3][4][5]He was of the aliʻi class or Hawaiian nobility. He was included in the first English school set up byHiram Bingham I inHonolulu around April 1821.[6]: 248 In 1823William Richards joined the mission, and became a teacher and friend for the rest of his life.After learning of the death of KingKamehameha II in 1825, Haʻalilio was selected to be the royal secretary of KingKamehameha III.Jean Baptiste Rives who had served as Kamehameha II's secretary had been accused of mismanagement of funds and never returned to Hawaii.He took the Christian name Timothy, which was "Timoteo" in theHawaiian language spelling.
On June 7, 1826, he married Hana Hopua (Hannah Hooper), the daughter of an American father, Hopua and Polunu. The couple had no children and his wife outlived him and inherited some lands in theGreat Mahele in 1848.[7]
In 1831 theLahainaluna School was founded, and he continued his education there. In July 1839 he was offered as a hostage during theFrench Incident. CaptainCyrille Pierre Théodore Laplace described him as:
The king's secretary and one of his favorites was a handsome young man of frank, pleasant countenance and good manners; he wore European dress and spoke English quite well.[8]
He was a member of the hulumanu (bird feathers), a group of often flamboyant favorites of KingKamehameha III that originally included Kamehamea IIIʻs aikāne (intimate friend)Kaomi Moe[9]
In the1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii, he was included in the first members of theHouse of Nobles.[10] Haʻalilio was a founding member of the first Hawaiian Historical Society in 1841.[11]
On April 8, 1842, he was appointed as the first diplomat of the kingdom, envoy to the United States, France and Great Britain. Richards would assist him as advisor and translator. In May he was appointed to a treasury board, along withJohn Papa ʻĪʻī andGerrit P. Judd.[12]
Haʻalilio and Richards left on July 18, 1842, for their diplomatic mission. Instead of sailing viaCape Horn, they went throughMexico and over land. They took a steamer to Washington, D.C. December 5. After a week waiting to seeDaniel Webster who was theU.S. Secretary of State, they had their appointment on December 7. By December 19, 1842, they had verbal assurance of U.S. recognition, but no formal treaty.[6]: 367 While in Washington, he became quite the celebrity as the first distinguished man of color to visit the nation's capital.[13]An incident occurred on board the steamboatGlobe, in which Haʻalilio was mistaken for Richards' slave. They tried purchasing two tickets for breakfast but instead were given one and a half, one for Richards and the half for his servant. Even after Richards explained to the captain that he was Haʻalilio's servant and that he was an ambassador from the "King of the Sandwich Islands" to the President, the captain refused to allow any "colored man" to sit at the table.[14]: 41 They next sailed to England.[6]: 367
In London they met up withSir George Simpson of theHudson's Bay Company and requested a visit withLord Aberdeen who was BritishSecretary of State for Foreign Affairs. February 1843 Richards, Sir George Simpson and Haʻalilio visited KingLeopold I of Belgium. On March 17, 1843, they metFrançois Guizot who was theFrench Foreign Minister. Both verbally accepted Hawaiian independence, and so did Lord Aberdeen on another visit on March 25. Confident in their success, Sir George Simpson returned to Canada, thinking Richards and Haʻalilo could wrap up the details through April and May 1843. Finally on November 13, 1843, Lord Aberdeen and the French ambassadorLouis Saint-Aulaire agreed on terms and signed an agreement on November 28. It was a joint declaration, not a treaty, so did not clarify status.[15]
They returned to America, and visited the new Secretary of StateJohn C. Calhoun who was invited to also sign the agreement, but said he would wait for a treaty that could be ratified by the Senate.They leftBoston November 18, 1844, on the shipMontreal, butHaʻalilio's health declined, and he died December 3, 1844, off the coast of New York. He probably had been suffering fromtuberculosis through the long northern winters.[16]: 610 Richards brought his body back on March 21, 1845, to Honolulu.[1] A funeral was held March 26, and a memorial was held in the legislature at its next session.[6]: 398 Bingham offered this praise:
Haalilio was a man of intelligence, of good judgement, of pleasing manners, and respectable business habits. ...few public officers possess integrity more trustworthy.[16]
| Keakealanikane | Kaleiheana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moanakane | Piʻilaniwahine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kapuni-a-Moana | Lono-a-Moana | Kauhi-a-Haki | Iliki-a-Moana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manua a.k.a. Uaua | Moanawahine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kuaina (Haaleleaina) | Ahumaikealake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malo | Haʻaloʻu (k) | Koeleele (k) | Kipa (w) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Levi Haʻalelea | Timoteo Haʻalilio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
