Samuel Northrup Castle (August 12, 1808 –July 14, 1894) was a businessman and politician in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...

Early life

Samuel Northrup Castle was born August 12, 1808, in

Cazenovia, New York Cazenovia is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,740 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Theophilus Cazenove, Theophile Cazenove, th ...

. His middle name is sometimes spelled "Northrop". His father was Samuel Castle (1770–1847) whose mother was Eunice Northrup (1743–1807), and his mother was Phoebe Parmelee. He married Angeline Lorraine Tenney (1810–1841). He became a bank teller in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. On December 14, 1836, the Castles sailed from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

on the ''Mary Frazier''. Juliette Montague and

Amos Starr Cooke Amos Starr Cooke (December 1, 1810 – March 20, 1871) was an American educator and businessman in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that influenced Hawaii during the 20th century. Life Amos Starr Cooke was born in Danbury, Co ...

were on the same ship, the eighth company of missionaries from the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian mission, Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the l ...

which arrived on April 9, 1837.

Career

Upon arrival in Honolulu as a layman he soon started to manage the financial affairs of the

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

, while his friend

and his wife opened the Royal School. He was assigned a house originally built for Reverend Ephriam Weston Clark near Kawaiahaʻo Church. He lived there with his family the remainder of his life. Some of the houses in this complex (including the storehouse he managed) have been restored and became the Mission Houses Museum.

Founder of Castle and Cooke

In 1851 he resigned from the mission and founded the firm Castle & Cooke in partnership with

on June 2, 1851. Initially they ran a general store in Honolulu, and continued to help the missions with financial matters through the Hawaiian Evangelical Association. Agents were hired in New York and San Francisco.

Joseph Ballard Atherton Joseph Ballard Atherton (1837–1903) was a Honolulu businessman and a former president of Castle & Cooke. He was an early founder of Honolulu YMCA and in later life served as its president. He was a member of the Annexation group, which overth ...

joined as clerk in 1858, and rose to become partner by 1865. During the 1860s, Castle & Cooke expanded into the business of selling sugar from the growing number of

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 ...

plantations in Hawaii, often investing in them as well. One of the first was Haʻikū Sugar Company on

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 ...

. Haʻikū was later managed by children of missionaries

Henry Perrine Baldwin Henry Perrine Baldwin (August 29, 1842 – July 8, 1911) was an American businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the " ...

and Samuel T. Alexander who formed their own partnership

Alexander & Baldwin Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is an American company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company currently operates businesses in real estate, land operations, and materials and construction. It was also the last ...

. These were two of the corporations known as the " Big Five who dominated the economy of 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 ...

through the 20th century. Missionary

Elias Bond The Bond District is a collection of historic buildings located in the district of North Kohala on the island of Hawaii. The district has three sections: the homestead of missionaries Ellen and Reverend Elias Bond (1813–1896), Kalahikiola Chu ...

started a plantation in Kohala in 1862.

Appointment to the Privy Council

Kamehameha V Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui; December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872), reigned as the fifth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": immovable, firm, s ...

appointed Castle to his Privy Council on December 7, 1863. He was elected to the

legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom () was the bicameral (later unicameral) legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term Legi ...

in the House of Representatives in 1864. He served on the Privy Council through the reign of King

Lunalilo Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo; January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later. Born to Kekāuluohi and High Chief Charles Kanaʻin ...

, until February 23, 1874. 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 ...

appointed him to the House of Nobles in the legislature from 1876 to 1880.

Other interests

He was a member of the board of trustees of

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 ...

when it was incorporated on June 6, 1849. He served as treasurer for 40 years. He was the only original trustee alive for the 50th anniversary celebration in 1891.

Family

His first wife Angeline Lorraine Tenney gave birth to a daughter, Mary Tenney Castle, on May 9, 1838. Angeline died less than three years later on March 5, 1841. Angeline Lorraine Tenney Castle

Mary Tenney Castle married Edward Griffin Hitchcock on April 11, 1862. Hitchcock was son of missionaries Harvey Rexford Hitchcock (1800–1855) and Rebecca Howard (1808–1890), born 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 ...

in 1837, served as 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 ...

, and died October 9, 1898. Their grandson was all-American football player Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr. He returned to the United States and married Mary Tenney (October 26, 1819 – March 13, 1907), the sister of Angeline, his first wife, on November 13, 1842, in West

Exeter, New York Exeter is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The town is located in the northern part of the county. The population was 987 at the 2010 census. It is named after the county town and cathedral city of Exeter in England. History ...

. They were both daughters of Levi Tenney (1781–1869) who served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and Mary Ann Kingsbury (1787–1853). He returned to Hawaii in March 1843 with his new wife. He had ten children with his second wife: # Samuel Castle died young October 27, 1843. # Charles Alfred Castle (December 16, 1844 – April 30, 1874) married Claire Eloise Coleman (1847–1917). # Harriet Angeline Castle (January 1, 1847 – 1924) married Charles Carson Coleman (1845–1935) on January 12, 1876. # William Richards Castle was born March 19, 1849, became a lawyer and politician, and died June 5, 1935. His son William Richards Castle, Jr. was author and diplomat. # George Parmele Castle (April 29, 1851 – 1932) married distant cousin Ida Mary Tenney (1856–1944) on October 12, 1875, and had two daughters. # Albert Tyler Castle (December 5, 1853 – November 14, 1864) died before his 11th birthday. #

James Bicknell Castle James Bicknell Castle (November 27, 1855 – April 5, 1918) was a Hawaiian businessman in the times of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Republic of Hawaii and Territory of Hawaii. Life James Bicknell Castle was born November 27, 1855, in Honolulu. His fat ...

(November 27, 1855 – April 4, 1918) greatly expanded Castle & Cooke in the sugar and railroad industries. James B. Castle High School is named for him. He married Julia White and had son Harold Kainalu Long Castle (1886–1967) who became a large land-owner and philanthropist, sponsoring the Castle Medical Center. # Caroline Dickinson Castle (March 15, 1859 – 1941) married author William Drake Westervelt (1849–1939). # Helen Kingsbury Castle (August 5, 1860 – 1929) married

George Herbert Mead George Herbert Mead (February 27, 1863 – April 26, 1931) was an American philosopher, Sociology, sociologist, and psychologist, primarily affiliated with the University of Chicago. He was one of the key figures in the development of pragmatis ...

in 1891. # Henry Northrup Castle (August 22, 1862 – January 30, 1895) married Frida Steckner (1869–1890) and then Mabel Rosamond Wing (1864–1950) and died in the wreck of the '' SS Elbe''. Henry introduced George Herbert Mead to his sister while the three were at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

Death and legacy

Castle died on July 14, 1894, in Honolulu. Atherton took over the helm of Castle and Cooke Most of the family is buried across the street from the homestead at Kawaiahaʻo Church. Mary Tenney Castle

The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation was founded by the family. Mary Castle became known as "Mother Castle" because of her support for education. Many of the early grants were to schools based on the ideas of

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and Education reform, educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century. The overridi ...

, who was a colleague of her son-in-law Mead. The Henry and Dorothy Castle Memorial

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

was established honoring her son and granddaughter in their former homestead. In 1940, the memorial funded a preschool teaching facility at the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. A more modern and larger house was built starting in 1898 in the

Mānoa Valley 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 ...

at by the family. It was designed by architects Clinton Briggs Ripley and

Charles William Dickey Charles William “C.W.” Dickey (6 July 1871 – 25 April 1942) was an American architect famous for developing a distinctive style of Hawaiian architecture, including the double-pitched Dickey roof. He was known not only for designing some of ...

, with many additional buildings added through the years. Johnny Wilson was an Engineer for some of the walls. When Mary Castle died in 1907, the Mānoa house was converted into an orphanage. In 1924 some of the property became one of suburban Honolulu's first housing subdivisions, called Castle Terrace. Other parts of the property became the home of the Pan-Pacific Union, founded by Alexander Hume Ford. It was torn down in 1941. In 1907, a building built at Punahou School was named Castle Hall with funds from the estate. The original Castle Hall burned in 1911, and a new one was built in 1913. Originally used as a girls' dormitory, it was later converted into classrooms for fifth and sixth grades. Former President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

was a student in Castle Hall for his fifth grade.