Cabinet of the Hawaiian Kingdom facts for kids

The Cabinet of the Hawaiian Kingdom (Hawaiian: ʻAha Kuhina o ke Aupuni) was a group of important government officials. They were chosen to give advice to the ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1845 to 1893. After the kingdom ended, the new governments (the Provisional Government and the Republic of Hawaii) kept a similar group. They called it an executive council and kept the minister positions under President Sanford B. Dole until 1898.

How the Cabinet Started

Kamehameha III was the first Hawaiian king to rule with a cabinet and a constitution.

Before 1845, the Hawaiian king got advice from the Kuhina Nui (a high-ranking official, like a prime minister). He also had a Council of Chiefs (ʻAha Aliʻi).

The first person to hold a cabinet-like job was an American missionary named Gerrit P. Judd. King Kamehameha III appointed him as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on November 2, 1843. By 1845, these important jobs became known as ministers (kuhina).

Judd was very busy. He acted like a prime minister, handling foreign affairs, money, and internal matters. Later, Robert Crichton Wyllie took over as finance minister. Judd then became the interior minister on March 28, 1845, to help ease his workload. King Kamehameha III started to rely more on foreigners from America and Britain to fill these top government roles.

Forming the Official Cabinet

The cabinet officially began after a law was passed on October 29, 1845. This law was called "An Act to Organize the Executive Ministry of the Hawaiian Islands." It clearly explained how cabinet ministers would be chosen for the government's executive branch. It also defined the role of a privy council, which was another advisory group.

The cabinet had five main ministries:

• The Minister of Foreign Affairs
• The Minister of the Interior (this job was combined with the Kuhina Nui until 1855)
• The Minister of Finance
• The Attorney General

The royal cabinet ministers were also members of the House of Nobles in the legislature. They were also part of the Privy Council of State, which advised the monarch. Until 1855, there was a fifth ministry: the Minister of Public Instruction. This ministry later became the Board of Education. It reported to the legislature through the interior ministry.

The first cabinet after these new laws included:

• Gerrit P. Judd (as finance minister)
• Robert Crichton Wyllie (as foreign minister)
• John Ricord (as attorney general)
• William Richards (as public instruction minister)
• Keoni Ana (who was part-Hawaiian, as Kuhina Nui and interior minister)

Cabinet Changes Over Time

Later Hawaiian constitutions, like those in 1852, 1864, and 1887, explained the cabinet's roles. The 1864 constitution, announced by King Kamehameha V, ended the position of Kuhina Nui. This meant the Kuhina Nui was no longer the head of the cabinet.

In the later years of the monarchy, there were questions about who was chosen for the cabinet. Sometimes, kings appointed people who were not popular or were seen as questionable. Examples include Celso Caesar Moreno and Walter Murray Gibson, appointed by King Kalākaua. During this time, cabinets were often named after their unofficial leaders, who were usually the foreign minister.

The 1887 constitution was forced upon King Kalākaua. This constitution gave more power to the cabinet (then called the Reform Cabinet). It took away some power from the monarch. The king needed the cabinet's approval for almost all his actions. He could still appoint ministers and veto laws without their consent. The constitution also kept the monarch's right to choose cabinet ministers. However, it gave the legislature the power to vote to remove the cabinet.

Challenges for the Cabinet

This change in the constitution caused many problems, especially during the 1892–1893 legislative session. Keeping a stable cabinet was a major disagreement between Queen Liliʻuokalani and the lawmakers. During this session, seven votes of no confidence were introduced. Four of the cabinets Queen Liliʻuokalani had chosen were removed by votes from the legislature. These were the Widemann, Macfarlane, Cornwell, and Wilcox cabinets.

On January 13, 1893, after the legislature dismissed the Wilcox cabinet, Queen Liliʻuokalani appointed a new group. This was called the Parker cabinet. It included:

• Samuel Parker as minister of foreign affairs
• John F. Colburn as minister of the interior
• William H. Cornwell as minister of finance
• Arthur P. Peterson as attorney general

These men were specifically chosen to support the Queen's plan to create a new constitution. She wanted to do this while the legislature was not meeting. She tried to announce a new constitution. However, her cabinet ministers either disagreed with it or were unwilling to sign it. Their opposition was one of the reasons that led to the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893.

See also

• Privy Council of the Hawaiian Kingdom
• Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
• Supreme Court of the Hawaiian Kingdom
• Kalākaua's Cabinet ministers
• Liliʻuokalani's Cabinet ministers