Samuel Mills Damon
Encyclopedia
Samuel Mills Damon was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii
, through the Republic of Hawaii
and into the Territory of Hawaii
.
His father was early missionary Samuel Chenery Damon (1815–1885) and mother was Julia Sherman Mills (1817–1890). They arrived in Honolulu in 1842.
His maternal grandfather was minister Samuel John Mills
(1783–1818), who took part in the Haystack Prayer Meeting
which led to the formation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
, the group that sent the first American missionaries to Hawaii.
He was educated at Punahou School
from 1856 to 1863.
On September 5, 1872 he married Harriet Melinda Baldwin (1846–1932), daughter of missionary Dwight Baldwin
(1798–1886).
His wife's brother Henry Perrine Baldwin
(1842–1911) founded Alexander & Baldwin
. This was one of the "Big Five
" corporations that dominated the economy of territorial Hawaii.
Damon started work as a clerk in the W. N. Ladd store in Honolulu, run by the son of the founder of ill-fated Ladd & Co.
In 1871 he went to work for the bank of Charles Reed Bishop
, the only one in the Hawaiian Islands at the time. By 1881 he became a full partner in Bishop's bank.
He invested in and served on the board of directors of sugarcane
plantations and the Oahu Railway and Land Company
, and was vice president of his brother-in-law's Hawaiian Sugar Company.
In 1844, he inherited over 9000 acres (3,642.2 ha) of the area known as Moanalua
from Bernice Pauahi Bishop
. She was the wife of his business partner, and a Hawaiian princess who inherited the land from King Kamehameha I
.
Damon was executor of Princess Pauahi's will, and trustee of the estate through 1916. Most of her land went to fund the Kamehameha Schools
.
He successfully appealed a lawsuit to the supreme court to demand exclusive fishing rights to the area offshore of Moanalua.
In an even more unusual case, Charles Brenig, who had come to Hawaii under the name Simeon Weibert, died and left much of his estate to Damon. The will was contested by Brenig's widow and son, but appeals were denied.
When Bishop moved to San Francisco in 1893 Damon acquired all shares of the Bishop bank.
The bank later became the First Hawaiian Bank
, and Damon's share was sold to BNP Paribas
in 2001.
made Damon a member of the Privy Council
, where he served until March 7, 1891.
He became a member of the board of education on July 7, 1887 and board of Health December 28, 1887.
He was appointed minister of finance on July 22, 1889, replacing amateur geologist
and businessman William Lowthian Green
.
He served until being replaced by Godfrey Brown on June 17, 1890.
He kept on good terms with Queen Liliuokalani (his father had performed her wedding ceremony). He was out of town when the Committee of Safety
deposed her. Since he knew people on both sides, he helped negotiate a peaceful outcome, where Liliuokalani surrendered under protest to the US Government.
After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, he was vice president of the Provisional Government of Hawaii
from February 4, 1893 to May 29, 1893 when he again became minister of finance. He was also on the executive council of Sanford B. Dole
(which replaced the privy council of the monarchy) until May 22, 1895.
When it was apparent that the United States
was not going to annex the islands immediately, he continued in the Republic of Hawaii
government to September 12, 1896. James A. King
replaced him temporarily in June 1896. He was made a special envoy to attend the diamond jubilee
of Queen Victoria
in London
. On August 11, 1897 he held the post for a third time, until November 13, 1899.
He was Hawaii's last minister of finance, serving once more from December 21, 1899 until June 14, 1900 after the Hawaiian Organic Act
established the government of the Territory of Hawaii
and the cabinet was abolished.
. He studied accounting in Glasgow, Scotland where he married Gertrude MacKinnon on January 17, 1899. They had four children, although one died young. He returned to work in the family bank, but was stabbed to death on September 27, 1904.
After S. M. Damon died July 1, 1924, his estate (then estimated worth over US$250 million) was left in trust to his grandchildren. At one time it was the fourth largest private landownder of Hawaii.
Son Henry Fowler Damon graduated from Yale, had children Harriet Damon "Haku" Baldwin (1913–2003), Frances (Damon) Holt, Joan (Damon) Haig, and Henry E. Damon, and died December 19, 1926. Douglas Wilfred Damon died September 21, 1936.
The property became very valuable as Honolulu was developed in the 20th century. Parts of Moanalua became Fort Kamehameha
, Honolulu International Airport
, Tripler Army Medical Center
, Moanalua High School
, the Salt Lake, Hawaii
development, and Moanalua Gardens
.
In 2003, the office buildings alone were sold to the Real estate investment trust
HRPT for over $480 million.
Trustees of the estate included retired General Frederick C. Weyand
, great-grandson David M. Haig, former bank president Walter Dods, and local attorney Paul Mullin Ganley.
His last surviving grandchild, Joan Damon Haig, died on November 9, 2004.
The estate had about 20 beneficiaries with annual total income of over $34 million, as plans were made for its distribution.
However, only one grandchild, (Samuel Renny Damon) survived from his son Samuel, while four descended from son Henry. A lawsuit was filed (appealed to the Supreme Court of Hawaii) to determine how to divide the shares: equal shares for each great-grandchild, five shares for each grandchild, or half for each set of descendants by his two children. The 1914 will had almost no punctuation in its ten pages.
The US Supreme Court refused to hear the case, so the estate, estimated worth $900 million in 2006, was distributed with half to descendants of each son.
The estate had bought Kahuku ranch on Hawaii island
for $1.3 million in 1958 from James W. Glover.
It is located on the southeast rift zone of Mauna Loa
volcano, with headquarters at 19°3′17"N 155°41′29"W.
The estate sold about 116000 acres (46,943.6 ha) of the ranch in 2003 to the US Government (with financing from the Nature Conservancy) to expand Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
for $22 million. It was the largest conservation land deal in Hawaii's history, enlarging the park by more than 50%. Some was sold for residences, and some remains as a tourist accommodation.
In 2006 his coin collection alone was auctioned off for $3,884,000 by Doyle New York
. It included an 1876 proof set
from the US centennial.
In 2007, the estate donated a collection of artifacts to the Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Damon was a founding trustee of the museum.
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...
, through the Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
and into the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
.
Life
Samuel Mills Damon was born in Honolulu on March 13, 1845.His father was early missionary Samuel Chenery Damon (1815–1885) and mother was Julia Sherman Mills (1817–1890). They arrived in Honolulu in 1842.
His maternal grandfather was minister Samuel John Mills
Samuel John Mills
Samuel John Mills Jr. was born at Torringford, Connecticut.His father was Congregational minister Samuel John Mills and mother was Esther Robbins....
(1783–1818), who took part in the Haystack Prayer Meeting
Haystack Prayer Meeting
The Haystack Prayer Meeting, held in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in August 1806, is viewed by many scholars as the seminal event for the development of Protestant missions in the subsequent decades and century. Missions are still supported today by American churches.Five Williams College students...
which led to the formation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
, the group that sent the first American missionaries to Hawaii.
He was educated at Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
from 1856 to 1863.
On September 5, 1872 he married Harriet Melinda Baldwin (1846–1932), daughter of missionary Dwight Baldwin
Dwight Baldwin (missionary)
Dwight Baldwin was an American Christian missionary and physician on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands, during the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that founded some of the largest businesses in the islands.-Life:...
(1798–1886).
Family and business
The Damons had four children: Samuel Edward Damon (born June 1, 1873), Mary Mills Damon (born November 23, 1877), Henry Fowler Damon (born January 16, 1883) and Douglas Wilfred Damon.His wife's brother Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the "Big Five" corporations that dominated the economy of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Henry Perrine...
(1842–1911) founded Alexander & Baldwin
Alexander & Baldwin
Following World War II, the company entered a new business: land development and real estate. The company formed a new subsidiary, the Kahului Development Co., to develop housing in the Kahului area. In the following years, the company became more involved in the development of its land and the...
. This was one of the "Big Five
Big Five (Hawaii)
The Big Five was the name given to a group of what started as sugarcane processing corporations that wielded considerable political power in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century and leaned heavily towards the Hawaii Republican Party. The Big Five were Castle & Cooke, Alexander &...
" corporations that dominated the economy of territorial Hawaii.
Damon started work as a clerk in the W. N. Ladd store in Honolulu, run by the son of the founder of ill-fated Ladd & Co.
Ladd & Co.
Ladd & Company was an early business partnership in the Kingdom of Hawaii.Its founders were William Ladd , Peter Allen Brinsmade , and William Northey Hooper...
In 1871 he went to work for the bank of Charles Reed Bishop
Charles Reed Bishop
Charles Reed Bishop was a businessman and philanthropist in Hawaii.Born in Glens Falls, New York, he sailed to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, and made his home there. Bishop was one of the first trustees of and a major donor to the Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii...
, the only one in the Hawaiian Islands at the time. By 1881 he became a full partner in Bishop's bank.
He invested in and served on the board of directors of sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
plantations and the Oahu Railway and Land Company
Oahu Railway and Land Company
The Oahu Railway and Land Company, or OR&L, was a narrow gauge common carrier railroad that served much of the Hawaiian island of Oahu until its dissolution in 1947.-Origin:...
, and was vice president of his brother-in-law's Hawaiian Sugar Company.
In 1844, he inherited over 9000 acres (3,642.2 ha) of the area known as Moanalua
Moanalua
Moanalua is a valley, a stream, an ahupuaa, and a residential neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii. The valley extends inland from behind Āliapaakai crater to the crest of the Koʻolau Range....
from Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop , born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was a Hawaiian princess, philanthropist, alii, and direct descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha. She was the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and last surviving heir...
. She was the wife of his business partner, and a Hawaiian princess who inherited the land from King Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
.
Damon was executor of Princess Pauahi's will, and trustee of the estate through 1916. Most of her land went to fund the Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
.
He successfully appealed a lawsuit to the supreme court to demand exclusive fishing rights to the area offshore of Moanalua.
In an even more unusual case, Charles Brenig, who had come to Hawaii under the name Simeon Weibert, died and left much of his estate to Damon. The will was contested by Brenig's widow and son, but appeals were denied.
When Bishop moved to San Francisco in 1893 Damon acquired all shares of the Bishop bank.
The bank later became the First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii at the First Hawaiian Center. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, which itself is a subsidiary of the French banking company, BNP Paribas...
, and Damon's share was sold to BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. In October 2010 BNP Paribas was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion. It was formed through the merger...
in 2001.
Politics
On August 12, 1884 King KalākauaKalakaua
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...
made Damon a member of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
, where he served until March 7, 1891.
He became a member of the board of education on July 7, 1887 and board of Health December 28, 1887.
He was appointed minister of finance on July 22, 1889, replacing amateur geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and businessman William Lowthian Green
William Lowthian Green
William Lowthian Green was an English adventurer and merchant, who later became cabinet minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii. As an amateur geologist, he published a theory of the formation of the earth called the tetrahedral hypothesis.-Life:...
.
He served until being replaced by Godfrey Brown on June 17, 1890.
He kept on good terms with Queen Liliuokalani (his father had performed her wedding ceremony). He was out of town when 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...
deposed her. Since he knew people on both sides, he helped negotiate a peaceful outcome, where Liliuokalani surrendered under protest to the US Government.
After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, he was vice president of the Provisional Government of Hawaii
Provisional Government of Hawaii
The Provisional Government of Hawaii abbreviated "P.G." was proclaimed on January 17, 1893 by the 13 member Committee of Safety under the leadership of Sanford B. Dole...
from February 4, 1893 to May 29, 1893 when he again became minister of finance. He was also on the executive council of Sanford B. Dole
Sanford B. Dole
Sanford Ballard Dole was a lawyer and jurist in the Hawaiian Islands as a kingdom, protectorate, republic and territory...
(which replaced the privy council of the monarchy) until May 22, 1895.
When it was apparent that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was not going to annex the islands immediately, he continued in the Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
government to September 12, 1896. James A. King
James A. King
James Anderson King was a ship's master who became a politician of the Republic of Hawaii.-Life:James Anderson King was born in Scotland in 1832....
replaced him temporarily in June 1896. He was made a special envoy to attend the diamond jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. On August 11, 1897 he held the post for a third time, until November 13, 1899.
He was Hawaii's last minister of finance, serving once more from December 21, 1899 until June 14, 1900 after the Hawaiian Organic Act
Hawaiian Organic Act
The Hawaiian Organic Act of April 30, 1900 was a United States federal law enacted to provide a government for the territory of Hawaii.-Background:...
established the government of the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
and the cabinet was abolished.
Legacy
His son Samuel Edward "Ned" Damon graduated from Punahou and then YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. He studied accounting in Glasgow, Scotland where he married Gertrude MacKinnon on January 17, 1899. They had four children, although one died young. He returned to work in the family bank, but was stabbed to death on September 27, 1904.
After S. M. Damon died July 1, 1924, his estate (then estimated worth over US$250 million) was left in trust to his grandchildren. At one time it was the fourth largest private landownder of Hawaii.
Son Henry Fowler Damon graduated from Yale, had children Harriet Damon "Haku" Baldwin (1913–2003), Frances (Damon) Holt, Joan (Damon) Haig, and Henry E. Damon, and died December 19, 1926. Douglas Wilfred Damon died September 21, 1936.
The property became very valuable as Honolulu was developed in the 20th century. Parts of Moanalua became Fort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha was a United States Army military base that was the site of several coastal artillery batteries to defend Pearl Harbor starting in 1907 in Honolulu, Hawaii.-History:The eastern areas of the fort were in the district called Moanalua...
, Honolulu International Airport
Honolulu International Airport
Honolulu International Airport is the principal aviation gateway of the City & County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii and is identified as one of the busiest airports in the United States, with traffic now exceeding 21 million passengers a year and rising.It is located in the Honolulu...
, Tripler Army Medical Center
Tripler Army Medical Center
Tripler Army Medical Center is the headquarters of the Pacific Regional Medical Command of the armed forces administered by the United States Army in the State of Hawaii. It is the largest military hospital in the Asian and Pacific Rim region and serves a military sphere of jurisdiction that spans...
, Moanalua High School
Moanalua High School
Moanalua High School is a public, co-educational college preparatory high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education and serves grades nine through twelve. Established in 1972 and graduated its first class in 1975, Moanalua High School is located in suburban Salt Lake near Moanalua in the...
, the Salt Lake, Hawaii
Salt Lake, Hawaii
Salt Lake is a suburban neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii on the island of O‘ahu. The area is also known as Āliamanu after a nearby crater, although Salt Lake itself is in a crater called Ālia pa‘akai — meaning "salt pond" in the Hawaiian language...
development, and Moanalua Gardens
Moanalua Gardens
Moanalua Gardens is a privately owned public park in Honolulu, Hawaii. The park is the site of Kamehameha V Cottage which used to be the home of Prince Lot Kapuāiwa, who would later become King Kamehameha V...
.
In 2003, the office buildings alone were sold to the Real estate investment trust
Real estate investment trust
A real estate investment trust or REIT is a tax designation for a corporate entity investing in real estate. The purpose of this designation is to reduce or eliminate corporate tax. In return, REITs are required to distribute 90% of their taxable income into the hands of investors...
HRPT for over $480 million.
Trustees of the estate included retired General Frederick C. Weyand
Frederick C. Weyand
Frederick Carlton Weyand was a U.S. Army General. Weyand was the last commander of US military operations in the Vietnam War from 1972–1973, and served as the 28th US Army Chief of Staff from 1974-1976.-Early career:...
, great-grandson David M. Haig, former bank president Walter Dods, and local attorney Paul Mullin Ganley.
His last surviving grandchild, Joan Damon Haig, died on November 9, 2004.
The estate had about 20 beneficiaries with annual total income of over $34 million, as plans were made for its distribution.
However, only one grandchild, (Samuel Renny Damon) survived from his son Samuel, while four descended from son Henry. A lawsuit was filed (appealed to the Supreme Court of Hawaii) to determine how to divide the shares: equal shares for each great-grandchild, five shares for each grandchild, or half for each set of descendants by his two children. The 1914 will had almost no punctuation in its ten pages.
The US Supreme Court refused to hear the case, so the estate, estimated worth $900 million in 2006, was distributed with half to descendants of each son.
The estate had bought Kahuku ranch on Hawaii island
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
for $1.3 million in 1958 from James W. Glover.
It is located on the southeast rift zone of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
volcano, with headquarters at 19°3′17"N 155°41′29"W.
The estate sold about 116000 acres (46,943.6 ha) of the ranch in 2003 to the US Government (with financing from the Nature Conservancy) to expand Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive volcano...
for $22 million. It was the largest conservation land deal in Hawaii's history, enlarging the park by more than 50%. Some was sold for residences, and some remains as a tourist accommodation.
In 2006 his coin collection alone was auctioned off for $3,884,000 by Doyle New York
Doyle New York
Doyle New York is one of the world's largest auctioneers and appraisers of fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorations and other specialty categories. Located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Doyle offers approximately forty auctions each year...
. It included an 1876 proof set
Proof coinage
Proof coinage means special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies and for archival purposes, but nowadays often struck in greater numbers specially for coin collectors . Many countries now issue them....
from the US centennial.
In 2007, the estate donated a collection of artifacts to the Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Damon was a founding trustee of the museum.