William Pitt Leleiohoku I (March 31, 1821 – October 21, 1848) was a Hawaiian noble 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 ...
who married two notable princesses and served as
Royal Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii Island () was the Governor, royal governor or viceroy of the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii during the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaii. The Governor of Hawaii was usually a Hawaiian chief or prince and could even be a ...
island.
Leleiohoku was born on March 31, 1821, in
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Kailua-Kona is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is most commonly referred to simply as Kona (a name it shares wit ...
. He was the son of the Prime Minister
Kalanimoku
William Pitt Kalanimoku or Kalaimoku ( – February 7, 1827) was a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom during the reigns of Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and the beginning of the reign of Kamehameha III. ...
who was called ''The Iron Pillar of Hawaii'' and took the English name of William Pitt after British Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...
. His mother was Kiliwehi, the daughter 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 ...
and
Peleuli
Peleuli (fl. 19th century), formally Peleuli-i-Kekela-o-kalani, was a Queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii as a wife of king Kamehameha I.
Biography
She was a daughter of High Chief Kamanawa and High Chiefess Kekelaokalani.
Her father, along ...
.
She named him in honor of the date of death of Kamehameha on the Hawaiian calendar, on the night of ''Hoku, Kaelo'' (May 14); ''Leleiohoku'' means ''"Fled in the time of Hoku"'' in the
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 ...
.
Other accounts give his mother as Kuwahine, who was another wife of Kalanimoku and a daughter of Governor
Kaikioʻewa
Kaikioʻewa ( - April 10, 1839) was a cousin of Kamehameha I and the first governor of Kauai. He was born in Waimea in 1765. He moved to Hilo as a young man where he initially opposed his cousin until after the Battle of Hilo when he and other al ...
of Kauai and Piʻipiʻi Kalanikaulihiwakama, Kamehameha I's half-sister.
He was considered of the highest hereditary descent after the king.
He was ''
hānai
''Hānai'' is a term used in the Hawaiian culture that refers to the informal adoption of one person by another. It can be used as an adjective, such as "''hānai'' child," or as a verb, to ''hānai'' someone into the family. Traditionally, ''hān ...
'' (adopted) by
John Adams Kuakini
John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini (1789–1844) was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for contributing to the infrastructure among other changes in the Kona District during this era ...
, who was Governor of
Hawaii Island
Hawaii is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of ...
and brother of the powerful Queen
Kaahumanu.
He attended
Lahainaluna Seminary ran by the American missionaries and converted to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
.
He was married on November 25, 1835, to the
Princess Nāhienaena when he was only 14; the princess was 6 years his senior. The marriage had been arranged by the missionaries to halt a sibling marriage between King
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K ...
and Nāhienaena. Their Christian wedding was held in
Wainee Church. It was not a happy union. He inherited little of his father's land because Kalanimoku, shortly before his death, made a verbal will leaving his entire property to his niece
Kekauōnohi, the previous queen of King
Kamehameha II
Kamehameha II (November 1797 – July 14, 1824) was the second king of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaii from 1819 to 1824. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani. It was lengthened to Kala ...
. Kekauōnohi, although only a cousin of Leleiohoku, was regarded according to ancient Hawaiian customs as his sister. It appears that Kalanimoku made a verbal disposition of his property to her (who was older than Leleiohoku) and willed that he should be the ''kanaka'' living under her.
Nāhienaena became ill after a failed pregnancy and died in 1836 at age 21. The child was said to be his but probably could have been
Kauikeaouli's. Leleiohoku married a second time to
Princess Ruth Keelikōlani, who was daughter of
Kalani Pauahi and
Kekūanaōʻa
Mataio Kekūanaōʻa ( – November 24, 1868), formally referred to as His Honor or His Highness, was a Hawaiian politician who served as governor of the island of Oahu, Oʻahu, father of two kings, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V, and held the ...
. He had a son
John William Pitt Kīnaʻu from his second wife. He served as an original member of the
House of Nobles in 1841–1846, and on the Kings Privy Council from 1845 to 1846. His foster father Kuakini died in 1844 and he inherited the
governorship of the Big Island.
He inherited the
Hulihee Palace which he passed to his wife.
He died on October 21, in the
measles
Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
epidemic of 1848, at Kekauōnohi's house, aged 27.
The funeral services for Leleiohoku,
Moses Kekūāiwa
Moses Kekūāiwa (July 20, 1829 – November 24, 1848) was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Early life and family
Kekūāiwa was born on July 20, 1829, in Honolulu, as noted by American merchant Stephen Reynolds, who ca ...
, and
Kaiminaauao were held on December 30, 1848; they were interred in the Royal Cemetery.
His widow lived on and inherited her husband's properties after their son died at age 17. Keelikolani showed her love for him when she named her ''hānai'' son
Leleiohoku II
William Pitt Leleiohoku II, born Kalahoʻolewa (January 10, 1855 – April 9, 1877), was a prince of the Hawaiian Kingdom and member of the reigning House of Kalākaua.
At birth, Leleiohoku was ''hānai'' (informally adopted) by Ruth Keʻeli ...
, after her deceased husband Leleiohoku. He was buried on the grounds of the current
Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica.
The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshaw ...
and later remove to the
Mauna ʻAla Royal Mausoleum.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leleiohoku 01
1821 births
1848 deaths
Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Hawaiian Kingdom politicians
House of Kekaulike
House of Kamehameha
Infectious disease deaths in Hawaii
People from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Governors of Hawaii (island)
Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Nobles
Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Privy Council
Hawaiian adoptees (hānai)
Burials at the Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla)
Lahainaluna School alumni
Deaths from measles