King Kalakaua!
King Kalakaua, known for being the last reining king of Hawaii, was born on November 16th, 1836, in Honolulu. He was born with the name, David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua, but was also given the nickname, The Merrie Monarch.
His parents, Kahana Kapaakea & Analea Keohokalole, were both high chiefs and chiefess. Before long though, a Hawaii costum called for David to be adopted. He was adopted by a chiefess Haaheo Kaniu and moved with her to Maui. When he turned 4, in order to start school at the Royal School, he went back to Honolulu.
David was a smart kid and was fluent in English, not to mention other Hawaiian languages. At age sixteen, he started studying law, but since he was involved with government positions, wasn't able to fully complete it. However, he had a major position on the staff of the then King, Kamehameha IV. He was also involved the military and other organizations.
When King Kamehameha IV died in 1872, without a sucessor to the throne. This meant that an election had to be held for would be king. William C. Lunalilo was a very popular man, and he won the election by a landslide. However, he died in 1874, and Kalakau was elected to take over his place.
He became a very liked, popular king, by traveling Hawaiian islands. A very big thing he did, was to help end the depression in Hawaii, visted Washington D.C., where he met President Grant. A treaty was signed, and Hawaii goods were able to ship to the U.S. tax free. He didn't stop at just traveling to D.C. though, he is known for being the first king to travel the world.
In November 1890, Kalakaua sailed to California for medical treatment, but died at a hotel in San Francisco on January 20 of 1891. His final words were, “Tell my people I tried.”
The reasoning behind his nickname, the Merrie Monarch, because his joyful approach to life.
Personal Thoughts:
From what I read about David, he was a well liked King because of his "joyful approach" to his duties. He wasn't afraid of taking risks or being the first to do something. This allowed him to get the things he wanted to do as king done! I'm sure a lot of people respected him during his time!
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Comments
Well done Kenzie!