APRIL 10, 1913

NATIVE HAWAIIAN WRITER JOURNALIST JOSEPH MOKU’ŌHAI POEPOE DIED

Born on March, 27, 1852, in Honomakaʻu, Kohala, on the island of Hawai’I, Joseph was raised in Honolulu. After graduating from the Royal School in Kehehuna and Ahuimanu College in Koolaupoko, Poepoe began his study of law. He studied first under Judge P. Kamakaia and then attended the law schools of W. R. Castle and S. B. Dole. In 1884, he received his law license. A prolific writer who, amidst American efforts to undermine the Kingdom, endeavored to educate the Native population on its cultural heritage, he was an editor of several Hawaiian-language newspapers in Honolulu. One of those papers, Hawaii Holomua, was the only paper that dared to print Queen Lili’uokalani’s protest and her appeal to U.S. President Cleveland after the overthrow. Joseph also taught at the British Government School in Ainakea. Poepoe, after several attempts at winning a seat in the House of Representatives, succeeded in 1912 as a Democrat, but died early in that session.

Sources:

“Short biography of the great Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, 1912,” Nupepa-Hawaii.  Retrieved 10/25/2023,   Short biography of the great Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, 1912. | nupepa (nupepa-hawaii.com)

Roster legislatures of Hawaii, 1841-1918: constitutions of monarchy and republic: speeches of sovereigns and president: Hawaii. Laws, etc: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive .  Retrieved 10/25/2023, Roster legislatures of Hawaii, 1841-1918 [electronic resource] : constitutions of monarchy and republic : speeches of sovereigns and president : Hawaii. Laws, etc : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Photo:  Author unknown, pre-April 10,1913. Public DomaiN. Source: Silva, Noenoe K. (2017) The Power of the Steel-tipped Pen: Reconstructing Native Hawaiian Intellectual History, Durham: Duke University Press ISBN: 978-0-8223-7313-1. OCLC: 961214024.