Hawaii’s last king and the penultimate monarch of the Kingdom, he was sometimes called The Merrie Monarch. Succeeding Lunalilo, he was elected to the vacant throne of Hawaii against Queen Emma. He reigned from 12 February 1874 until his death in San Francisco, California, on 20 January 1891 at age 54. Kal?kaua had a convivial personality and enjoyed entertaining guests with his singing and ukulele playing. At his coronation and his birthday jubilee, the hula that had been banned from public in the kingdom became a celebration of Hawaiian culture.
During his reign, the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 brought great prosperity to the kingdom. Its renewal continued the prosperity but allowed the United States to have exclusive use of Pearl Harbor. In 1881, he took a trip around the world to encourage the immigration of contract sugar plantation workers. Kal?kaua wanted Hawaiians to broaden their education beyond their nation. He instituted a government-financed program to sponsor qualified students to be sent abroad to further their education. Two of Kal?kaua’s projects, the statue of Kamehameha I and the rebuilding of ?Iolani Palace, were expensive endeavors but are popular tourist attractions today.
Extravagant expenditures and his plans for a Polynesian confederation played into the hands of annexationists who were already working towards a United States takeover of Hawai?i. In 1887, he was pressured to sign a new constitution that made the monarchy little more than a figurehead position. He had faith in his sister Lili?uokalani’s abilities to rule as regent when he named her as his heir-apparent following the death of their brother, William Pitt Leleiohoku, in 1877. After his death, she became the last monarch of Hawai?i.
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