HIGH CHIEFESS ELIZABETH KEKAʻANIAU LAʻANUI PRATT BORN—WRITER, ADVISOR & ACTIVIST
Born at Waialua, Oahu, and named “Elizabeth,” the baptismal name taken by Kaʻahumanu, co-ruler & wife of Kamehameha I, she was bridesmaid for Queens Emma & Liliʻuokalani. She claimed that, on his death bed, Kamehameha V offered her the throne before them. When Queen Emma’s husband Lunalilo died, Kekaʻaniau supported Emma’s failed candidacy in the 1874 royal election against Kalākaua. After that, she lived in San Francisco while her husband served as Hawaiian Consul General for the Pacific states & Nevada. After the overthrow of the monarchy, Kekaʻaniau became honorary president of Hui Aloha ʻĀina o Na Wahine—the Women’s Patriotic League opposing overthrow & annexation. In 1895, she helped found the Hawaiian Relief Society to assist cholera epidemic victims. In 1920, she wrote History of Keoua Kalanikupuapa-i-nui: Father of Hawaii Kings, and His Descendants, with Notes on Kamehameha I, First King of All Hawaii. Kekaʻaniau died in Honolulu on December 20, 1928.
Source: Wikipedia “Elizabeth Kekaaniau,” Prabook. Retrieved 1/7/2021, https://prabook.com/web/elizabeth.kekaaniau/2414098 “Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui,” royal Family of Hawaii Official Website. Retrieved 1/7/2021, Royal Family of Hawaii Official Website (crownofhawaii.com) Photo: Author unknown. Circa 1859. Public Domain. Source: Honolulu Museum of Art.
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