ROBERT HOAPILI KEKAIPUKA’ALA BAKER DIED–AIDE TO HAWAIIAN KING KALĀKAUA
Born circa 1846, in Waikapu, Maui, Hoapili was descended from the kings of the islands of Maui and Hawaii. In 1879, he and his brother, John Timoteo Baker, were models for the Kamehameha statues by sculptor Thomas R. Gould. Hoapili served the monarchy as a royal guard officer and lieutenant on the Household Guard of King Kalākaua. Entering the House of Representatives for Kona, Oahu, in 1880, he proposed a government-funded study-abroad program. In 1884, he became a member of Kalākaua’s Privy Council of State and, in 1886, Governor of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. In 1889, after governorships were abolished with the 1887 “Bayonet Constitution,” Hoapili became aide de camp and a member of the king’s military staff. After Kalākaua’s death in January 1891, he served on the military staff and Privy Council of State of Queen Liliuokalani until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893. Afterwards, he retired from politics and public life. Hoapili died on April 4, 1900, at his residence in Pawaʻa, Honolulu.
Source: “Robert Hoapili Baker,” PeoplePill. Retrieved 1/24/2020, https://peoplepill.com/people/robert-hoapili-baker/ Photo: Author unknown, pre-4/6/1900. Public Domain.
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