Chapter 15 – Queen Lili‘uokalani

When news of the king’s death reached Hawai‘i, the cabinet wanted Princess Lydia Lili‘uokalani, named as heir by her brother, to become queen right away. During the time that her brother was king, she had taken his place when he was away from court. She had traveled to the other islands so that people knew and loved her. She had made friends in America and England. Born in 1838, having gone to the Chiefs’ Children’s School, as had other rulers before her, she was well educated and spoke excellent English. Like her brother, she loved music and composed the words to “Aloha ‘Oe,” which is still sung around the world. In 1862, she married John Owen Dominis, who would later become governor of O‘ahu. They lived with his parents at Washington Place, today the home of Hawai‘i’s governors. Although Dominis died shortly after she became queen, he had been Lili‘uokalani’s trusted advisor.