1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Imagine you're part of the royal family of the Kingdom 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: of Hawaii. Ah paradise. Problem is, foreigners think it's paradise too, 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: and they want it. That's what happened to the first 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: and last Queen of Hawaii, Queen Lily Uo Klani, the 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: last reigning monarch. I'm Patty Steele. Paradise Lost. Next on 6 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: the back story. We're back with the backstory. Okay, it's 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety one and the King of Hawaii, part of 8 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: the powerful family of former King Kamehamea, is on a 9 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: diplomatic trip to San Francisco, but while there he has 10 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: a minor stroke. He keeps pushing through with his obligations, 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,559 Speaker 1: and two days later he's dead at the age of 12 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: fifty four. His sister, Princess Lily Uo Kolani, becomes queen, 13 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: but her timing couldn't be worse. American businessmen in the 14 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: booming sugar industry have enjoyed a ton of power under 15 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: agreements signed before she took the throne, but she wants 16 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: to restore power to the Hawaiian people through a new constitution, 17 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: and that makes the sugar barons kinda nervous. But first, 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: let's take a look back at her early life, Lily 19 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: Uo Kolani hasn't had the easiest time, despite being a 20 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: princess on a South Pacific island, which pretty much sounds 21 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: like the perfect life right well, the islands had been 22 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: ravaged by the arrival of Captain James Cook and the 23 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: British in seventeen seventy eight, and later by Americans because 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: of the disease they all brought to the islands. The 25 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: native population went from as many as eight hundred thousand 26 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: in seventeen seventy eight to just forty thousand in one 27 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: hundred years. Anyway, as a little girl, Lily Uo Koalani 28 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: meets John Owen Dominies, who'd been born in New York 29 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: but whose parents moved to Hawaii when he was five 30 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: years old. His mother was active in business and various charities, 31 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: especially after John's sea captain father was lost at sea. 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: As John and Lily Uocolani grew up, a romance evolved, 33 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: although it seems it was as much about the benefits 34 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: John would get by marrying a princess as it was 35 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: about a love match. He was given numerous titles and 36 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,519 Speaker 1: launched a busy business and social life. In which he 37 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: didn't always include his wife, but the pair did become 38 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: good friends, even if it wasn't the romance the princess 39 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: hoped for now. On top of that, John's mother, despite 40 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: her charitable involvement with Island children, turned out to be 41 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: a bit of a racist. She was distressed that her 42 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: son was marrying a non Caucasian, but she did come 43 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: around realizing the opportunities that marriage would provide for her son. 44 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: In her autobiography, Lily Uo Kolani says that her mother 45 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: in law considered her an intruder in their world, but 46 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,239 Speaker 1: she does say later in life she came to appreciate 47 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: the princess and became much more affectionate to her. But 48 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: there was another problem for the princess. She wanted children, 49 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: as did her husband, but she wasn't able to get pregnant. 50 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: John saw that as a free pass to take a 51 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: long string of lovers, which was a constant upset for her. Eventually, 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 1: he had a baby boy with a household servant. Amazingly, 53 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: Lily Uo Kalani not only had learned to accept her 54 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: husband's wandering eye and other body parts, but she was 55 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: also anxious to protect him from scandal since he was 56 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: now the Royal Governor of Maui. At first, she was 57 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: even willing to pretend the baby was her own and 58 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: make him heir to the throne, but she realized that 59 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: would be illegal since he wasn't part of the royal bloodline. Instead, 60 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: the baby was raised by his grandmother, although financially supported 61 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: by Lily Uo Koalani. Years later, long after the death 62 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: of her husband, she adopted the boy and named him 63 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: John Emoku Dominis after his father. Now in the midst 64 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: of all of this was lily Uo Kolani's rise to 65 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: the throne in early eighteen nine ninety one. But again 66 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: tragedy strikes for her when just seven months later, John dies. 67 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: Some suspected that without him by her side, Lily Uo 68 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: Kolani would be more easily overthrown, which may have been 69 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: the case, although he'd been ill for a while. The 70 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: death of her husband, despite his unfaithfulness, broke her heart. 71 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: She said, his long experience in public life, his kindness 72 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: and popularity would have made him an irreplaceable adviser for me. 73 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: He has taken it precisely the time I most needed 74 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: his counsel and companionship. Add to that the turmoil with 75 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: American business interests, and she's got a lot on her plate. 76 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: Now it's eighteen ninety three, and with the support of 77 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: the US Minister, a group of businessmen and sugar planters, 78 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: backed by US Marines take to the streets of Honolulu. 79 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: Lily Uo Kalani worries about the threat to her people, 80 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: and she steps aside. In eighteen nine ninety five, there's 81 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: a rebellion aimed at restoring her to the throne, but 82 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: it fails, and eventually she abdicates the throne. She's placed 83 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: under house arrest, where she remains for over a year, 84 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: working on her autobiography and writing songs, including maybe the 85 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: most well known Hawaiian song, the now iconic Aloha Oi, 86 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: a song that beautifully encapsulates the affection and pain of parting. 87 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,480 Speaker 1: President Grover Cleveland actually supported returning her to the throne, 88 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 1: but it was too late. With the outbreak of the 89 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 1: Spanish American War, the strategic importance of Hawaii as a 90 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: mid Pacific naval base became undeniable to American interests. The 91 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 1: kingdom was lost, and Hawaii was annexed to the US 92 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety eight. When the flag of the Republic 93 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: of Hawaii was lowered and the flag of the United 94 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:55,039 Speaker 1: States was raised in its place. Lily Uokalani spent years 95 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,479 Speaker 1: in Washington, d c. Fighting for the return of her kingdom, 96 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 1: almost until her death at her home in Hawaii in 97 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: nineteen seventeen at the age of seventy nine. But the 98 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 1: powerful owners of Hawaii's sugar and pineapple plantations had won out, 99 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 1: and Hawaii became the fiftieth state to join the United 100 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: States in nineteen fifty nine. The queen's struggle wasn't just 101 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: about power. It was about identity, culture, and the right 102 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,239 Speaker 1: of a group of people to govern themselves. Lily Uocolani's 103 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: paradise fell to a world made smaller by transportation and 104 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,919 Speaker 1: by greed for the abundance in beauty that is Hawaii, 105 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: but her legacy is not one of defeat, but of 106 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: resilience and unwavering love for her land and her people. 107 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: Hope you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele and that 108 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: you will please subscribe And if there's a story you'd 109 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: like me to dig into, just dm me on Facebook 110 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: at Patty Steele or on Instagram at real Patty Steele. 111 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 112 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 113 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 114 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 115 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 116 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 117 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the 118 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.