Name/Title
Lorrin A. (Andrews) ThurstonDescription
Lorrin Andrews Thurston (July 31, 1858 – May 11, 1931) was an American-Hawaiian lawyer, politician, and businessman. Thurston played a prominent role in the revolution that caused the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliʻuokalani with the Republic of Hawaii, guided by American ideas. He published the Pacific Commercial Advertiser (a forerunner of the present-day Honolulu Star-Advertiser), and owned other enterprises.
He was fluent in the Hawaiian language and gave himself the Hawaiian nickname Kakina.[5] In 1872, he attended Punahou School, then known as Oahu College, where he played baseball with the sons of Alexander Cartwright (who invented the modern game). He was expelled shortly before graduation.[6] After working as a translator for a law firm and clerk at the Wailuku Sugar Company, he attended law school at Columbia University. He returned to Honolulu in 1881 and became partners in a law firm with William Owen Smith.[5]
Queen Liliʻuokalani became monarch in 1891 and tried to seize more power with a new constitution. In 1892 Thurston led the Annexation Club, later adopting the title Committee of Safety, which planned for making Hawaii a territory of the United States. In 1893 the Committee of Safety was supported by the U.S. Military in an overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and the resulting Provisional Government of Hawaii was controlled by Thurston's committee. Thurston headed the commission sent to Washington, D.C., to negotiate with Benjamin Harrison for American annexation.
In March 1893 Grover Cleveland became president, and disavowed the treaty. Thurston helped draft another constitution, and the Republic of Hawaiʻi was declared on July 4, 1894. He appointed Sanford B. Dole to the office of President of the Republic. A series of abortive revolts called the Wilcox rebellions had little public support, and were defeated during this period. In 1897 William McKinley became president and Thurston's commission again lobbied for annexation. The Spanish–American War in April 1898 increased American interest in the Pacific, due to battles in the Philippines.[11] By July 1898 the annexation formed the Territory of Hawaii and Thurston retired from political office to run his business affairs.
Wikipedia reference nos.Created By
hawaiiancovers@gmail.comCreate Date
May 5, 2024Update Date
May 5, 2024
![Author's Personal Collection: On January 20, 1887, the United States began leasing Pearl Harbor.[26] Shortly afterwards, a group of mostly non-Hawaiians calling themselves the Hawaiian Patriotic League began the Rebellion of 1887.[27] They drafted their own constitution on July 6, 1887.[28] The new constitution was written by Lorrin Thurston, the Hawaiian Minister of the Interior who used the Hawaiian militia as threat against Kalākaua.[26] Kalākaua was forced under threat of assassination[29] to dismiss his cabinet ministers and sign a new constitution which greatly lessened his power.[21] It would become known as the "Bayonet Constitution" because of the threat of force used.[26]
Wikipedia reference nos.](https://d8e7jbdw4fu0e.cloudfront.net/10756/35e4ad20-0b21-11ef-8f11-ad5f22e4cecc-vYAWUmV.lg@2x.jpg)
