Frederick William Kahapula Beckley Jr. (May 7, 1874 – December 20, 1943) was a

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

politician, historian, and educator. He was the last official interpreter of the

Hawaii Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions o ...

during 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 ...

and was the first professor of

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Biography

He was born on May 7, 1874, in Honolulu, the son of Frederick William Kahapula Beckley Sr. and Emma Kaili Metcalf. He was descended from chiefly lineages from both his parents, and his ancestors included High Chief

Hoʻolulu Hoʻolulu (c. 1794–1844) was a member of the nobility during the formation of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a trusted advisor to King Kamehameha I, also known as "Kamehameha the Great", and was one of the select few to know his ...

and Captain

George Charles Beckley George Charles Beckley (March 5, 1787 – April 16, 1826) was an English people, English captain, trader, and military adviser. He was one of the earliest foreigners to have a major impact in the Kingdom of Hawaii, where he eventually became a ...

, both advisors of King

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

. His father died in 1881 and his mother remarried in 1887 to Moses Kuea Nakuina, who became Beckley's stepfather. At an early age, he became interested in

and

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. He was educated at

Saint Louis School Saint Louis School, located in the neighborhood of St. Louis Heights in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Catholic college preparatory school for boys. It was founded in 1846 to serve Catholics in the former Kingdom of Hawaii. Located within the ...

Kamehameha Schools Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...

, and

Oahu College Oahu College (originally and later, Punahou School; 1853-1934) was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a school for the children of Protestant missionaries serving throughout the Pacific region. It was the first school west of the Rocky Mountains ...

. Beckley served as the last official interpreter of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

prior to 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 ...

. Afterward, he continued working as a translator and was interpreter for the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...

's First Circuit Court from 1906 to 1914. In 1900, he ran for the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives representing

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 ...

as a candidate of the Home Rule Party, led by former royalist revolutionary

Robert William Wilcox Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox (February 15, 1855 – October 23, 1903), nicknamed the Iron Duke of Hawaii, was a Hawaiian revolutionary soldier and politician, who led uprisings against both the government of the Hawaiian Kingdom under King ...

. While in the legislature, he served as Vice-Speaker in 1901 and 1902 was

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

from 1903 to 1904. He later joined the

Hawaii Republican Party The Hawaii Republican Party (HRP; ) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP) in Hawaii, headquartered in Honolulu. The party was strong during Hawaii's territorial days, but following the Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954 the Democrat ...

. In later life, he became an educator. He taught Hawaiian history and language at McKinley High School and served as the first professor of Hawaiian language at the

in 1922. He married Alice L. K. Heanu on October 2, 1902. They had nine children. Beckley died on December 20, 1943.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckley, Frederick William Kahapula Jr. Native Hawaiian politicians Educators from Hawaii Historians of Hawaii Hawaii Republicans 1874 births 1943 deaths Kamehameha Schools alumni Territory of Hawaii officials Interpreters University of Hawaiʻi faculty Punahou School alumni Home Rule Party of Hawaii politicians Members of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature Saint Louis School alumni