John Owen Dominis
Encyclopedia
John Owen Dominis was an American
-born statesman. He became Prince Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii
upon his marriage to the last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. The Queen was overthrown by the Committee of Safety
, a group organized by American and European businessmen who sought to promote western interests in the region.
during the Napoleonic Wars
. Although he was often called "Italian", there is evidence he was probably descended from a noble Croatian
family, although he might be both, since the Croatia
n region of Dalmatia
was Italianized for being ruled by Venice
, existing a Venetian family of Conti Palatini de Dominis de Arba. Working for Josiah Marshall of Boston, Massachusetts, captain Dominis sailed from North America across the Pacific, often stopping in Hawaii. One of his ships used on the trading voyages was called "Owhyhee" (an older transcription of 'O Hawai'i). The captain married Mary Lambert Jones (1803–1889), daughter of Owen Jones and Elizabeth Lambert, on October 9, 1821, and had two daughters, Mary Elizabeth (1825–1838) and Frances Ann Dominis (1829–1842). About 1831, they moved to Schenectady, New York
and son John Owen Dominis was born on March 10, 1832.
In 1837 the captain moved his wife and son from New York to Honolulu, Hawaii
, leaving their two daughters at boarding school where they died young. King Kamehameha III
awarded some land to the family in 1842 as settlement of a lawsuit with the British Consul Richard Charlton
. The captain continued to take voyages to raise money for the construction of a large house. In 1846 he sailed for China on the Brig William Neilson, intending to purchase Chinese-made furniture for the house which was nearing completion. The ship was lost at sea, along with the American Agent George Brown, and Mary became a widow. Mary rented a suite of rooms to support herself and young John Owen. One of the first boarders established the American Legation in the house and named it "Washington Place
", which was used as a governor's residence and is now a museum.
He attended a day school run by Mr. and Mrs. Johston that was next to the Royal School founded for the children of the native Hawaiian nobility. Dominis would climb the fence to look at the princes and princesses, and became friends with them.
For a time, Dominis was a mercantile clerk in San Francisco, and later he served as a clerk in a Honolulu commercial house. By 1856 he was on staff to a Prince, and accompanying the royal family on their travels. On September 16, 1862 Dominis married Princess Lydia Kamakaeha Paki, whom he had met during school days. They had been engaged for two years, but had to delay their wedding due to the death of Prince Albert
, the young son of King Kamehameha IV
. The marriage was not happy. She wanted children of her own, but could not have any. John chose to socialize without her, and Mary Dominis looked down upon her non-caucasian daughter-in-law. Liliuokalani notes in her autobiography that his mother considered her an "intruder", but became more affectionate in her later years.
His marriage to Liliuokalani and his friendship with King Kamehameha V
brought him many honors. For example, he was a Royal Commander of the Royal Order of Kamehameha
, the Royal Order of Kalākaua
, and several others.
From 1863 he served on the King's Privy Council.
Dominis served from 1864 to 1886 in the House of Nobles
, and from 1868 until his death as Royal Governor of Oahu. He served on the Board of Health, Board of Education, Bureau of Immigration, and was Quartermaster General and Commissoner of Crown Lands. From 1878 to 1886 he served as Royal Governor of Maui. In 1886 he was appointed Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief.
According to his wife's testimony, Governor Dominis was a very dedicated freemason and held the 33rd degree.
Mary Dominis died on April 25, 1889, and he and Liliuokalani inherited Washington Place. Liliuokalani became Queen when her brother King Kalākaua
died on January 20, 1891, which made Dominis Prince Consort. Dominis died less than a year later on August 27, 1891 in Washington Place and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum
known as Mauna Ala.
He did have a child, John Dominis Aimoku, with Mary Purdy Lamiki Aimoku, born January 9, 1883. Liliuokalani adopted her husband's son in 1910, who changed his name to John Aimoku Dominis and married Sybil McInerny. They continued to live at Washington Place until Liliuokalani died on November 11, 1917.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born statesman. He became Prince Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
upon his marriage to the last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. The Queen was overthrown by the Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (Hawaii)
The Committee of Safety, formally the Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, was a 13-member group of the Hawaiian League also known as the Annexation Club...
, a group organized by American and European businessmen who sought to promote western interests in the region.
Life
His father was a sea captain named John Dominis (1796–1846) who came to America in 1819 from TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Although he was often called "Italian", there is evidence he was probably descended from a noble Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
family, although he might be both, since the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n region of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
was Italianized for being ruled by Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, existing a Venetian family of Conti Palatini de Dominis de Arba. Working for Josiah Marshall of Boston, Massachusetts, captain Dominis sailed from North America across the Pacific, often stopping in Hawaii. One of his ships used on the trading voyages was called "Owhyhee" (an older transcription of 'O Hawai'i). The captain married Mary Lambert Jones (1803–1889), daughter of Owen Jones and Elizabeth Lambert, on October 9, 1821, and had two daughters, Mary Elizabeth (1825–1838) and Frances Ann Dominis (1829–1842). About 1831, they moved to Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
and son John Owen Dominis was born on March 10, 1832.
In 1837 the captain moved his wife and son from New York to Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, leaving their two daughters at boarding school where they died young. King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
awarded some land to the family in 1842 as settlement of a lawsuit with the British Consul Richard Charlton
Richard Charlton (Hawaii)
Richard Charlton was the first diplomatic Consul from Great Britain to the Kingdom of Hawaii 1825–1843. He was surrounded by controversies that caused a military occupation known as the Paulet Affair, and real estate claims that motivated the formalization of Hawaiian land titles.-Life:Richard...
. The captain continued to take voyages to raise money for the construction of a large house. In 1846 he sailed for China on the Brig William Neilson, intending to purchase Chinese-made furniture for the house which was nearing completion. The ship was lost at sea, along with the American Agent George Brown, and Mary became a widow. Mary rented a suite of rooms to support herself and young John Owen. One of the first boarders established the American Legation in the house and named it "Washington Place
Washington Place
Washington Place is a Greek Revival palace in the Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was where Queen Liliuokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Later it became the official residence of the Governor of Hawaii. It is a National Historic Landmark,...
", which was used as a governor's residence and is now a museum.
He attended a day school run by Mr. and Mrs. Johston that was next to the Royal School founded for the children of the native Hawaiian nobility. Dominis would climb the fence to look at the princes and princesses, and became friends with them.
For a time, Dominis was a mercantile clerk in San Francisco, and later he served as a clerk in a Honolulu commercial house. By 1856 he was on staff to a Prince, and accompanying the royal family on their travels. On September 16, 1862 Dominis married Princess Lydia Kamakaeha Paki, whom he had met during school days. They had been engaged for two years, but had to delay their wedding due to the death of Prince Albert
Albert Kamehameha
Prince Albert Kamehameha, formally Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa a Kamehameha , was the only son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, who during his short life was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
, the young son of King Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho Keawenui , reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.-Early life:...
. The marriage was not happy. She wanted children of her own, but could not have any. John chose to socialize without her, and Mary Dominis looked down upon her non-caucasian daughter-in-law. Liliuokalani notes in her autobiography that his mother considered her an "intruder", but became more affectionate in her later years.
His marriage to Liliuokalani and his friendship with King Kamehameha V
Kamehameha V
aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...
brought him many honors. For example, he was a Royal Commander of the Royal Order of Kamehameha
Royal Order of Kamehameha I (decoration)
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I was founded on 11 April 1865 by King Kamehameha V in memory of his grandfather King Kamehameha I and in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This Order was granted to both native Hawaiians and foreigners for distinguished...
, the Royal Order of Kalākaua
Royal Order of Kalakaua I
The Royal Order of Kalākaua I was instituted on 28 September 1875 by King Kalākaua I to commemorate his accession to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi on 12 February 1874. This order was granted to both native Hawaiians and foreigners for superlative service to the monarch and to the kingdom...
, and several others.
From 1863 he served on the King's Privy Council.
Dominis served from 1864 to 1886 in the House of Nobles
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
, and from 1868 until his death as Royal Governor of Oahu. He served on the Board of Health, Board of Education, Bureau of Immigration, and was Quartermaster General and Commissoner of Crown Lands. From 1878 to 1886 he served as Royal Governor of Maui. In 1886 he was appointed Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief.
According to his wife's testimony, Governor Dominis was a very dedicated freemason and held the 33rd degree.
Mary Dominis died on April 25, 1889, and he and Liliuokalani inherited Washington Place. Liliuokalani became Queen when her brother King Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
died on January 20, 1891, which made Dominis Prince Consort. Dominis died less than a year later on August 27, 1891 in Washington Place and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum
Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii
The Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, known as Mauna Ala in the Hawaiian language, is the final resting place of Hawaii's two prominent royal families: the Kamehameha Dynasty and the Kalākaua Dynasty.-Description:...
known as Mauna Ala.
He did have a child, John Dominis Aimoku, with Mary Purdy Lamiki Aimoku, born January 9, 1883. Liliuokalani adopted her husband's son in 1910, who changed his name to John Aimoku Dominis and married Sybil McInerny. They continued to live at Washington Place until Liliuokalani died on November 11, 1917.
See also
- Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's QueenHawaii's Story by Hawaii's QueenHawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is a book written by Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii. It was published in 1898, five years after the overthrow of the Kingdom...
- List of Hawaiian royal consorts