Wallace Rider Farrington (May 3, 1871 – October 6, 1933) was an American journalist who served as the sixth Territorial Governor of Hawaii, serving from 1921 to 1929. Prior to his term, he was editor of ''

The Honolulu Advertiser ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions. ''The ...

'' and ''

Honolulu Star-Bulletin The ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii (after the ''Honol ...

'' newspapers.

Life

Farrington was born in Orono on May 3, 1871. He graduated the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

in 1891. An avid traveler, he found himself in

Honolulu, Hawaii 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 ...

in 1894 and was persuaded to stay to become the editor of the ''Honolulu Advertiser''. He left the newspaper after three years of service to become the editor of the ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin''. Interested in local politics, he was elected

Mayor of Honolulu The mayor of Honolulu is the chief executive officer of the City and County of Honolulu. An office established in 1900 and modified in 1907, the mayor of Honolulu is elected by universal suffrage of residents of Honolulu to no more than two fo ...

. In 1915, Farrington organized the

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 ...

Ad Club. One of his invited guest speakers was

Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents w ...

, a Republican Senator from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Farrington introduced Harding as "the future

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

." Harding replied that if Farrington's prediction came true, he would name Farrington governor 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 ...

. Three months after taking office as U.S. President in 1921, Harding fulfilled his promise, appointing Farrington as the Territorial Governor of Hawaii. His tenure was controversial, as he followed the previous Governor in favouring the Whites. Farrington served as a Republican through 1929 when he retired from public life. Suffering from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

, he died on October 6, 1933. Farrington was memorialized with the dedication of Wallace Rider Farrington High School in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu. The school adopted ''The Governors'' as its nickname and mascot, in honor of the school's namesake. Also named after him are Farrington Street in lower

Manoa 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 ...

Valley, Farrington Highway which stretches from Pearl City to the leeward coast 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 ...

, and Farrington Hall (demolished in the 1970s) 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 ...

, Manoa where he served as chairman of the

Board of Regents from 1914 to 1920.

Family

OahuCemetery-WallaceRiderFarrington-gravemarker

Farrington was the father of Joseph Rider Farrington, a member of the Senate of the Territory of Hawaii and the territory's delegate to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. Joseph Farrington died in office and was succeeded by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Pruett Farrington, who carried on the Farrington name. US House of Representatives website, ''Farrington, Mary Elizabeth''
/ref> He was buried in Oahu Cemetery.

References

Honoluluadvertiser.com
Posted 2006-07-02; Accessed 2011-04-06 *Coffman, Tom. ''The Island Edge of America: A Political History of Hawaii''. University of Hawaii Press, 2003. *Pukui, Mary Kawena and Samuel Elbert. ''Place Names of Hawaii.'' UH Press, 1974. {{DEFAULTSORT:Farrington, Wallace Rider 1871 births 1933 deaths Governors of the Territory of Hawaii American newspaper publishers (people) People from Orono, Maine Hawaii Republicans American Congregationalists University of Maine alumni Burials at Oahu Cemetery