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Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole ( March 26 1871 – January 7 , 1922 ) was a prince of the reigning House Of Kalākaua when the Kingdom Of Hawai‘i was overthrown by American residents in 1893 . He later went on to become a politician and served in the United States Congress . EARLY LIFE Kalaniana‘ole was born in Kōloa on the island of Kaua‘i as an Ali‘i or Hawaiian nobleman. Like all ali‘i his genealogy was complex, but centered mainly on his ancestry as an heir of Kaumuali‘i , the ruling chief of Kaua‘i. Like many members of the Hawaiian nobility in the nineteenth-century he was well educated, attending the Royal School and Punahou School in Honolulu on the island of O‘ahu . After completing his basic education he also traveled abroad for further study. He studied for four years at St. Matthew's College in California and at the Royal Agricultural College in England before graduating from a business school in England. PRINCE OF THE KALāKAUA DYNASTY In 1884 the Kalākaua Dynasty to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, ending the Kamehameha Dynasty . Kalaniana‘ole himself was ''hanai'd'' by Kalākaua's wife, Kapi‘olani , who was herself descended from the Kaua‘i chiefs. ''Hanai'' is a customary form of adoption widely used in Hawai‘i and Kalaniana‘ole became a royal prince. When Kalākaua came to power Kalaniana‘ole was appointed to a seat in the royal Cabinet administering the Department of the Interior. After Kalākaua's death Liliu‘okalani became queen, and she continued to favour Kalaniana‘ole. After her own heir apparent, Princess Victoria Ka'iulani , died at the age of twenty three, Liliu‘okalani made Kalaniana‘ole and his brother David Kawananakoa heirs to the throne. As a result, Kalaniana‘ole became one of the most important members of the Hawaiian nobility in the late nineteenth century. OVERTHROW OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM The Kingdom of Hawai‘i was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893. In 1895, native Hawaiians and American sympathizers organized a revolution against the newly formed Republic Of Hawai‘i led by President Sanford B. Dole . The revolution was suppressed with the help of American troops. Kūhiō was sentenced to a year in prison while others were charged with treason and sentenced with execution. In the face of public protest the death sentences were commuted to imprisonment. Kūhiō served his full term. Disenchanted with what had become of his homeland, Kūhiō and his wife left Hawai‘i upon his release and traveled widely in Europe, where they were treating as visiting royalty. He also traveled to Africa from 1899 to 1902. He joined the British Army to fight in the Second Boer War . FROM PRINCE TO AMERICAN STATESMAN Kūhiō eventually returned from his self-imposed exile to take part in politics in post-annexation Hawai‘i. He became active in the Home Rule Party, which represented native Hawaiians and continued to fight for Hawaiian independence. A much smaller Democrat party, led by his relative David Kawananakoa, was less radical and also less powerful. The Republicans represented moneyed interests and the people who had originally overthrown the Monarchy. In 1901 Kūhiō switched parties and joined the Republicans. He realized that the power of the oligarchs who organized the Republicans could not be fought by the grassroots Home Rule Party. At the same time, the Republicans recognized that they could not rule effectively without more popular support. By endorsing the heir to the throne of the Hawaiian kingdom they hoped to gain traction in local communities, and Kūhiō hoped to reform the system from within. The relationship remained a rocky one. In a campaign to secure Home Rule for his former subjects, Jonah was elected to the U.S. Congress as the Republican delegate. He served from March 4 , 1903 until his death in Waikīkī on January 7 , 1922 . During this time he instituted local government at the county level, creating the county system still used to-day in Hawai‘i. He staffed the civil service positions that resulted with Hawaiian appointees. This move combined the political patronage system of nineteenth century American politics with the traditional Hawaiian chiefly role of benificiently delegating authority to trusted retainers. However, the most notable achievement of Kūhiō during this period was undoubtedly the creation of the Hawaiian Homelands Act , which was signed by President Harding into law in 1921. This act and the others that followed from it continue to frame contemporary Hawaiian politics and form the legal basis which more recent legislation like the ‘Akaka Bill have been framed. Kūhiō passed away on 7 January 1922. His body was laid to rest with the rest of his royal family at the Royal Mausoleum in Nu‘uanu on the island of O‘ahu . REFERENCES
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