"Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero[a] 'Iolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ?Iouli Kunuiakea o Kuka'ilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title Ke Ali'i o ko Hawaii Pae 'Aina of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855, to November 30, 1863.
Alexander was born on February 9, 1834, in Honolulu on the island of O?ahu. His father was High Chief Mataio Kekuanao?a, Royal Governor of O?ahu. His mother was Princess Elizabeth Kina?u the Kuhina Nui or Prime Minister of the Kingdom. He was the grandson of Kamehameha I, first monarch of all the islands. Alexander had three older brothers, David Kamehameha, Moses Kekuaiwa and Lot Kapuaiwa, and a younger sister, Victoria Kamamalu.
As a toddler, Alexander was adopted by his uncle, King Kamehameha III who decreed Alexander heir to the throne and raised him as the crown prince.
His name 'Iolani means "hawk of heaven", or "royal hawk".
Kamehameha III died on December 15, 1854. On January 11, 1855 Alexander took the oath as King Kamehameha IV, succeeding his uncle when he was only 20 years old. His first act as king was to halt the negotiations his father had begun regarding Hawaii's annexation by the United States.
His cabinet ministers were: Wyllie, as minister of foreign affairs, Keoni Ana (John Young II) served as minister of the interior, Elisha Hunt Allen as minister of finance, and Richard Armstrong as minister of education. William Little Lee served as chief justice, until he was sent on a diplomatic mission and then died in 1857. Allen became chief justice, and David L. Gregg became minister of finance. After Keoni Ana died, his brother Prince Lot Kapuaiwa was minister of the interior.
Emma, a British descendant and great grand niece of Hawaii's first king, was Kamehameha IV's Queen Consort.
Only a year after assuming the throne, Alexander took the hand of Emma Rooke, whom he had met in childhood at the Chiefs' Children's School, as his queen. Queen Emma was the granddaughter of John Young, Kamehameha the Great's British royal advisor and companion. She also was Kamehameha's great-grandniece. On the day of their wedding, he forgot their wedding ring. Chief Justice Elisha Hunt Allen quickly slipped his own gold ring to the king and the ceremony continued. The marriage was apparently a happy one, as the king and queen shared interests including opera, literature and theatre.
After marrying in 1856, the royal couple had their only child on May 20, 1858, named Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa a Kamehameha.[3] Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was Prince Albert's godmother (by proxy) at his christening in Honolulu. Alexander Liholiho thought he was responsible for the death of Prince Albert because he gave him a cold shower to "cool him off" when Albert wanted something he could not have.[19] His ailing health worsened. At the age of four, the young prince died on August 27, 1862. The cause of the prince's death is unknown: at the time, it was believed to be "brain fever" or meningitis. Later speculation has included appendicitis.
On September 11, 1859, the king shot Henry A. Neilson, his secretary and one of his closest friends, who died two years later. Alexander had heard a rumour that Neilson was having an affair with Queen Emma, and after drinking heavily shot his friend in the chest.Following the shooting, the king apologised to Neilson and provided him with the use of his Waikiki home for the rest of his life. He also considered abdicating his throne, before being convinced not to by Wyllie, his minister of foreign affairs.
Wyllie sponsored a fancy dress ball in 1860. Even the Catholic bishop came, dressed as a bishop. Kamehameha IV's father Kekuanao?a came in Scottish highland dress, music was provided by German musicians, and the food by a French chef. Emma came as the earth goddess Cybele. The conservative American missionaries did not approve, especially of the dancing.
In 1860, Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma entertained a group of Japanese diplomats who were stopping in Honolulu on their way to Washington. These men were part of the Japanese Embassy to the United States, Japan's first diplomatic mission to the United States since the 1854 opening of Japan by Commodore Matthew Perry. Their meeting with Kamehameha IV was noted by Vice-Ambassador Muragaki Norimasa as the first presentation of Japanese ambassadors to a foreign king, although Japan and Hawaii had no formal relation at this point. The Japanese delegation were later surprised to learn on their departure that the king paid for all of their expenses while in Honolulu.
In August 1861 he issued a declaration of neutrality in the American Civil War." Source: (
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