orig. Lydia Kamakaeha
born Sept. 2, 1838, Honolulu, Hawaii
died Nov. 11, 1917, Honolulu
Hawaiian queen, the last Hawaiian monarch to govern the islands (189193).
She succeeded her brother, David Kalakaua, to the throne and tried to restore the traditional monarchy. She opposed the reciprocity treaty that gave commercial concessions to the U.S. In 1893 she was declared deposed by Sanford B. Dole and the Missionary Party, which favoured U.S. annexation. An uprising in her name was suppressed and the rebels jailed. To win pardons for her supporters, she formally abdicated in 1895. A talented musician, she composed the song "Aloha Oe."
Queen Liliuokalani.
Courtesy of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum