Haʻalilio

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Timoteo Kamalehua Haʻalilio (c. 1808 – December 3, 1844) was a royal secretary and the Kingdom of Hawaii’s first diplomat. He is best known for helping Hawaii gain recognition as an independent nation from the United States, Britain, and France.

Haʻalilio was born on Oahu around 1808. He came from Hawaiian nobility and was the son of Koeleele and Kipa. He was the half-brother of Levi Haʻalelea. He was part of the aliʻi class and attended the first English school in Honolulu organized by Hiram Bingham I. He later studied at Lahainaluna School, founded in 1831. In 1826, he married Hana Hopua (Hannah Hooper); they had no children.

After the death of King Kamehameha II, Haʻalilio was chosen to be the royal secretary for King Kamehameha III. He was a member of the House of Nobles in the 1840 constitution and helped found the Hawaiian Historical Society in 1841. In 1839 he served as a hostage during the French Incident.

On April 8, 1842, Haʻalilio was named the kingdom’s first diplomat, with William Richards as his advisor and translator. He was sent as envoy to the United States, Great Britain, and France. The mission began in July 1842, traveling first to Washington, D.C. There, after an audience with the U.S. Secretary of State in December, Hawaii received verbal recognition of its independence, though no formal treaty was signed yet.

Next, Haʻalilio and Richards went to Europe. In London they met with British officials, and in Belgium and France they spoke with leaders including King Leopold I and Minister François Guizot. By March 1843 both Britain and France had verbally recognized Hawaiian independence. A formal agreement was reached in November 1843 between Lord Aberdeen (Britain) and the French ambassador, Louis Saint-Aulaire, but it was a joint declaration, not a treaty, so its status was unclear.

The pair then returned to the United States to seek a treaty, meeting with Secretary of State John C. Calhoun. Calhoun said he would await a Senate-ratified treaty. Haʻalilio and Richards left Boston in November 1844, but Haʻalilio’s health declined, and he died December 3, 1844, off the coast of New York. Richards brought his body back to Honolulu in March 1845. A funeral was held, and Haʻaliliō’s work was praised for helping Hawaii gain recognition as an independent nation.