Edward Griffin "Holy Terror" Hitchcock (January 20, 1837 – October 9, 1898) was a law enforcement officer in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian:

ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi Latin epsilon or open E (majuscule: Ɛ, minuscule: ɛ) is a letter of the extended Latin alphabet, based on the lowercase of the Greek letter epsilon (ε). It was introduced in the 16th century by Gian Giorgio Trissino to represent the pronunc ...

, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...

, who rose to the position of Marshal of the

Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'' epupəˈlikə o həˈvɐjʔi was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii, Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had Black Week (H ...

Life

Edward Griffin Hitchcock was born January 20, 1837, in

Lahaina Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali, Hawaii, Kaanapali and Kapalua, Hawaii, Kapalua beac ...

on the island of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

. His father was early missionary

Harvey Rexford Hitchcock Harvey Rexford Hitchcock (March 13, 1800 – August 25, 1855) was an early Protestant missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii from the United States. With his three sons, he and his wife started a family that would influence Hawaii's history. He ...

(1800–1855), and mother was Rebecca Howard (1808–1890). They were assigned the mission station called Kaluaaha on the eastern end of the island of

Molokai Molokai or Molokai ( or ; Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its g ...

. He attended

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school was established by P ...

from 1847 to 1853. He married Mary Tenney Castle (1838–1926), daughter of

Castle & Cooke Castle & Cooke, Inc., is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture, including becoming, through mergers with the modern Dole F ...

founder Samuel Northrup Castle (1808–1894) on April 11, 1862. He managed the family

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

at Pāpaikou. He was appointed as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of the

island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...

on April 5, 1888. In December 1889, deputy sheriff

Rufus Anderson Lyman Rufus Anderson Lyman (June 23, 1842 – July 4, 1910) was a son of a missionary who became a lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, founded the Paauhau Sugar Plantation Company, and had many notable descendants. Life He was born on Jun ...

informed him of the lynching case of Japanese immigrant

Katsu Goto (née Kobayakawa) (1862–1889) was a Japanese merchant, interpreter, and lynching victim. He was the leader of a fledgling Japanese community in Honokaa. Early years Goto was born in Kokufu-mura, Naka District, Kanagawa Prefecture. He was the e ...

in Honokaa. Hitchcock tracked down his suspects who were tried and found guilty, but they were later pardoned and freed by the new government. The episode was dramatized in a 2001 play by Eric Anderson "Another Heaven", and a memorial was erected in Honokaa for Goto. After the

overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in a ''coup d'état'' against Queen Liliʻuokalani that took place on January 17, 1893, on the island of Oahu. The coup was led by the Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign residents (five Ame ...

in early 1893, Marshal

Charles Burnett Wilson Charles Burnett "C.B." Wilson (4 July 1850 – 12 September 1926) was a British and Tahitian superintendent of the water works, fire chief under Kalākaua, King Kalākaua, and Marshal of the Kingdom under Liliuokalani, Queen Liliuokalani. Wilson ...

was viewed as loyal to deposed

Queen Liliuokalani Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. Hitchcock replaced Wilson as Marshal, the highest

law enforcement officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

in the country. His effectiveness at rounding up suspects and his ties to missionaries earned him the nickname "Holy Terror". He lived in the capital

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

while serving as Marshal of the

Provisional Government of Hawaii The Provisional Government of Hawaii (abbr.: P.G.; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Aupuni Kūikawā o Hawaiʻi'') was proclaimed after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893, by the 13-member Committee of Safety (Hawaii), Co ...

and the

. One of the first of several uprisings he faced was called the Leper War. He ordered victims of

Leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

to the remote colony of

Kalaupapa Kalaupapa () is a small unincorporated community and Hawaiian home land on the island of Molokai, within Kalawao County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. In 1866, during the reign of Kamehameha V, the Hawaii legislature passed a law that resul ...

. Some on the island of

Kaua'i Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 mi ...

had to be captured by force. The

Kalaupapa Leper Colony Kalaupapa National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, on the island of Molokai. Coterminous with the boundaries of Kalawao County and primarily on Kalaupapa peninsula, it was established b ...

was considered more like a prison than a medical facility. A leader of the uprising named Koolau was dramatized in the

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

short story "Koolau the Leper". The

1895 Counter-Revolution in Hawaii Events January * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island (off French Guiana) on what is much later admitted to be a false charge of t ...

, was an organized armed revolt on the capital. After an initial victory by the Royalists, on January 7, 1895, President Sanford B. Dole declared martial law and employed troops and artillery. Hitchcock eventually arrested the leaders and the Queen. Hitchcock resigned on August 1, 1895, and Arthur M. Brown, who had served as Hitchcock's deputy, became the new Marshal. He returned to his island Sheriff duties, until he was appointed circuit court judge of the island of Hawaii in October 1896 replacing Antone Rosa.

Death and legacy

He died October 9, 1898, in the Kohala district of Hawaii island. He and Mary had six children who grew to adulthood. Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was born August 17, 1864, married Hannah Julia Meyer (1866–1912), daughter of German businessman

Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer (1826–1897) was a German who managed an early agricultural business in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Life Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer was born on April 2, 1826, to Rudolph Heinrich Meyer and Christine Ludewike Sengevald. They lived in ...

on February 18, 1891, and died August 23, 1931. Their son Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr. (1891-1958) was on the

1913 College Football All-America Team The 1913 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans for the 1913 college football season. The only two selectors who have been recognized as "official" selectors by the National C ...

. Mary Rebecca Hitchcock was born June 27, 1866, married Frederick Galen Snow (1858–1926) in 1898, and died October 9, 1958. Harriet Castle Hitchcock was born September 15, 1868, and died August 26, 1933. Edward Northrup Hitchcock was born June 25, 1870, married Clara Louise Fasset and died September 29, 1901. Eloise Tenney Hitchcock was born January 8, 1873, married Frank Tallant Smith in 1895, and died August 31, 1899, in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Mabel Winchester Hitchcock was born November 1, 1876, married Bertrand Ferdidand Schoen, and died May 3, 1963. Two other daughters died young. His nephew

D. Howard Hitchcock David Howard Hitchcock (May 15, 1861 – January 1, 1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School, known for his depictions of Hawaii. Life David Howard Hitchcock was born May 15, 1861, in Hilo, Hawaii. Since his father was also named Dav ...

(1861–1943) became a painter in what was called the Volcano School because of the use of the volcanoes of Hawaii island as subjects.

Popular culture

He was portrayed by Johnathan Schaeck in the 2022 historical drama

The Wind & the Reckoning ''The Wind & the Reckoning'' is an American Hawaiian Western historical drama film produced and directed by David L. Cunningham. The film is "a story inspired by real-life events" that are known as the Koʻolau Rebellion in Hawaiʻi, particular ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitchcock, Edward Griffin 1837 births 1898 deaths History of Hawaii (island) Independent (Kuokoa) Party politicians Hawaii sheriffs Marshals of Hawaii Punahou School alumni Hawaiian Kingdom people

Life

Death and legacy

Popular culture

See also

References