James Aalapuna Harbottle Boyd (July 4, 1858 – August 14, 1915) was a military official under 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 ...

. He served King

Kalākaua Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Māhinulani Nālaʻiaʻehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, reigning from February 12, 1874, u ...

and Queen

Liliʻuokalani Queen Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of th ...

and was the inspiration for the song ''

Aloha ʻOe "" ("Farewell to Thee") is a Hawaiian folk song written by Queen "Lydia" Liliʻuokalani, who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is her most famous song and is a common cultural symbol for Hawaii. Background The story of the ori ...

''.

Family background

Born in

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 ...

, Boyd was the son of

Edwin Harbottle Boyd The name Edwin means "wealth-friend". It comes from (wealth, good fortune) and (friend). Thus the Old English form is Ēadwine, a name widely attested in early medieval England. Edwina is the feminine form of the name. Notable people and char ...

(1834–1875) and Maria Punapanaewa Adams Boyd (1841–1891). His family background was of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and Hawaiian descent. His

middle name In various cultures, a middle name is a portion of a personal name that is written between a person's given name and surname. A middle name is often abbreviated and is then called middle initial or just initial. A person may be given a middle ...

honored his two-time great-grandfather John Harbottle (1781–1830), a British naval officer, who was one of the first foreign residents in Hawaii and

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 ...

's port pilot. Harbottle's wife, High Chiefess Papapaunauapu, was the adoptive granddaughter of Kamehameha I. Boyd's maternal grandfather, Alexander Adams, of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

descent, was another well-known foreign advisor of the King and has been credited by some historians as the designer of the

flag of Hawaii The flag of Hawaii, also known as the Hawaiian flag, is the State flag, official flag of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It consists of a field of eight horizontal stripes, in the sequence of white, red, blue, white, red, blue, white, red with a Brit ...

. His paternal grandfather Robert Lopaka Boyd (1785–1870) had served as the King's

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

, and it is believed that he came from

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

in the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...

. The Boyds were considered among the most prominent families of Hawaii, and their residence in

Maunawili Maunawili () is a residential census-designated place (CDP) in the Honolulu County, Hawaii, City & County of Honolulu, Koolaupoko District, Island of Oahu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the CDP h ...

was often frequented by Hawaiian royalty, visiting foreign dignitaries, and world-famous writers and artists. Boyd's father made his fortune as a merchant and cattle rancher and served many political posts in the Kingdom's legislature, so it was understandable that James would follow in his footsteps.

Career

In 1877, Boyd served as captain on the staff of the governor of Oahu,

John Owen Dominis John Owen Dominis (March 10, 1832 – August 27, 1891) was prince consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii as the husband of Queen Liliuokalani from January 29, 1891, until his death that year. Family His father was a sea captain named John Dominis ( ...

. He was elevated to colonel on the King's staff in 1880. During this period of service he became better acquainted with Princess Liliʻuokalani, the governor's wife. Boyd was quite popular and gained the confidence of the Hawaiian royal family. During the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of King

in 1883, he was trusted with the position of bearer of the royal crowns. He also served as Marriage License Agent in 1880, Private Ways and Water Rights in 1882, Captain Co. C, Prince's Own in 1885, and the King's Special Commissioner in 1886. On September 20, 1886, Boyd took possession of Ocean Island, later renamed

Kure Atoll Kure Atoll (; ; ) or Ocean Island is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean west-northwest of Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands at . A coral ring across encloses a lagoon several meters deep. The atoll's largest island is called ''Gree ...

, for the Hawaiian crown as King

's special commissioner. Kalākaua had done this in response to frequent

shipwrecks A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

along the surrounding reefs, including the notorious 1870 wreck of the . He ordered that a crude house be built on the island, with tanks for holding water and provisions for any other unfortunates who might be cast away there. But the provisions were stolen within a year, and the house soon fell into ruins. In 1887, he served as secretary and attaché to Col.

Curtis P. Iaukea Colonel Curtis Piʻehu Iaukea (December 13, 1855 – March 5, 1940) served as a court official, army officer and diplomat of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He later became an influential official for the subsequent regimes of the Provisional Governmen ...

and accompanied Princess Liliʻuokalani, Governor Dominis, and Queen

Kapiʻolani Kapiʻolani (December 31, 1834 – June 24, 1899) was the queen of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as the consort of Mōʻī (king) Kalākaua, who reigned from 1874 until his death in 1891, when she became known as the Dowager Queen Kapiʻolani. Dee ...

to England for the celebration of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...

. The Hawaiian party was graciously received and given the same honor as every nation in attendance. In

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, James was reunited with his younger brother Robert Napuʻuako, who had been studying in the Italian

Royal Naval Academy The Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in HMNB Portsmouth, Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardise ...

for seven years under Kalākaua education programs for Hawaiian youths. Robert requested to return home, and James agreed and sent a letter to Hawaii requesting for his return. It would take another three months before his brother could return to Hawaii. In the meanwhile, the royal party was to continue their tour in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, but their mission was cut short by the unrest back in Hawaii, where King Kalākaua was forced to sign

Bayonet Constitution The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a legal document prepared by anti-monarchists to strip the absolute Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to a coalition of American, European and native Haw ...

. A few months afterwards, his brother Robert returned home along with other Hawaiian students who had been studying abroad under the financial support of King Kalākaua, which ceased because the new legislature refused to continue to fund the King's many ventures. A

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

led by Robert and his classmate

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 ...

failed to change the political atmosphere in Hawaii and only served to anger the annexationists even more. After the King's death in 1891 and his sister Liliʻuokalani's accession to the throne, Boyd was reappointed as colonel on the Queen's staff. On January 14, 1893, a large crowd of Hawaiians gathered in front of

ʻIolani Palace The Iolani Palace () was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under the Kalākaua Dynasty. It is located i ...

demanding for a new constitution, but Queen Liliʻuokalani addressed the crowd, saying that she couldn't give them the new constitution at that time because of her ministers' refusal to sign and ratify the document. The Queen insisted that they return home peacefully. This action would have a significant impact on the course of Hawaiian history. Three days later, two of her ministers betrayed the Queen to the Committee of Safety, and she was overthrown and the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

was established by the annexationists. Boyd's family strongly opposed the Provisional Government and 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 ...

that followed, because of Boyd's friendship with Liliʻuokalani and relation to Princess

Kaʻiulani Princess Kaʻiulani (; Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn; October 16, 1875 – March 6, 1899) was a Hawaiian royal, the only child of Princess Miriam Likelike, and the last heir apparent to the thron ...

, as her brother-in-law. But after the

annexation of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

by the United States, Boyd served the

Territorial government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, o ...

as Superintendent of Public Works from 1901 to 1902. Boyd died on August 14, 1915, in Waimea, on the Big Island. The funeral was held on August 18 in Honolulu, and he was buried in the

Oahu Cemetery The Oahu Cemetery is the resting place of many notable early residents of the Honolulu area. They range from missionaries and politicians to sports pioneers and philosophers. Over time it was expanded to become an area known as the Nuuanu Cemet ...

Marriage

On August 16, 1888, Boyd married Helen Caroline Maniʻiailehua Cleghorn (1863–1927), the second daughter of

Archibald Scott Cleghorn Archibald Scott Cleghorn (November 15, 1835 – November 1, 1910) was a Scottish businessman who married into the royal family of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Biography He was born on November 15, 1835, in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Thomas Cleghorn an ...

and Elizabeth Pauahi Lapeka. Helen was the half-sister of Princess

, Cleghorn's youngest daughter with his second wife, Princess

Likelike Likelike (; Miriam Likelike Kekāuluohi Keahelapalapa Kapili; January 13, 1851February 2, 1887) was a princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom and member of the reigning House of Kalākaua. She was born in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, Oʻahu. Like ...

. His marriage brought Boyd closer to the King and the royal court. He and Helen had seven children: Cecil Archibald, James, Norman, Helen, Irene, Hilo, and Edwin Harbottle. Their descendants survived into old age.

''Aloha ʻOe'' and Kapaemahu

According to legend, the famous song ''

'' was inspired by a visit by the then-Princess Liliʻuokalani to Maunawili in 1877, as part of her tour of the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

in her first act as the newly appointed

heir-apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

. As the riding party prepared to return to Honolulu, Liliʻuokalani glanced back at gates of Maunawili and witnessed Colonel Boyd receiving a wreath of lei and a loving "farewell" from a young Hawaiian girl on the ranch, which he returned with a kiss and "one fond embrace". Helena G. Allen, in her biography of the Queen, ''The Betrayal of Liliuokalani, last Queen of Hawaii, 1838–1917'', disagrees. She maintains that the song was in fact based on a romantic affair between Boyd and Princess

, who was his future wife's stepmother, during the aforementioned visit. Boyd is also credited as the conveyer of the first written version of the legend of

Kapaemahu Kapaemahu refers to four stones on Waikīkī, Waikīkī Beach that were placed there as tribute to four legendary māhū, mahu (third-gender individuals) who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaiʻi centuries ago. It is also the name o ...

, which was recorded by Thomas Thrum, published in the Hawaiian Almanac and Annual of 1907, and subsequently turned into an

animated film Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

. Some historian believe Boyd heard the legend from Liliʻuokalani. Boyd's family residence at

Mānoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...

was called Waola. His parents' estate at

was sold to William G. Irwin in 1893. The piece of land changed hands multiple time until its last resident vacated the premises in 1985. Currently the estate is owned by HRT Ltd. The Boyd's house dating from the 1860s still stands and is called The Queen's Retreat (Boyd/Irwin Estate), but has suffered major

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

in recent years due to inefficient surveillance. Efforts have been made to save and restore the historic site due its importance in Hawaiian history, as the alleged place where Queen Liliuokalani composed her immortal song ''

''.

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, James Harbottle 1858 births 1915 deaths Hawaiian nobility Hawaiian Kingdom politicians Hawaiian Kingdom people National Reform Party (Hawaii) politicians People from Honolulu Hawaiian Kingdom military officers People from the Territory of Hawaii