John Owen Dominis
Prince Consort of the Hawaiian Islands
Tenure	January 29, 1891–August 27, 1891 (his death)
Spouse	Queen Liliʻuokalani
Father	John Dominis
Mother	Mary Jones Dominis
Born	March 10, 1832(1832-03-10) Schenectady, New York
Died	August 27, 1891 (aged 59) Washington Place, Honolulu, Oahu
Burial	Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum

John Owen Dominis (March 10, 1832–August 27, 1891) was an American-born statesman. He became Prince Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi upon his marriage to the last reigning monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani. The Queen was overthrown by the Committee of Safety, a group of American and European businessmen who sought to promote Western interests in the region.

[edit] Life

His father was a sea captain named John Domins (1796–1846) who came to America in 1819 from Trieste during the Napoleonic Wars. Although he was often called "Italian", there is evidence he was probably descended from a noble Croatian family.^[1] Working for Josiah Marshall of Boston, Massachusetts, captain Dominis sailed from North America across the Pacific, often stopping in Hawaii. One of his ships used on the trading voyages was called "Owhyhee".^[2] The captain married Mary Jones on October 9, 1821, and had two daughters, Mary Elizabeth and Frances Ann. About 1831, they moved to Schenectady, New York and son John Owen Dominis was born on March 10, 1832.

In 1837 the captain moved his wife and son from New York to Honolulu, Hawaii. King Kamehameha III awarded some land to the family in 1842 as settlement of a lawsuit with the British Consul Richard Charlton. The captain continued to take voyages to raise money for the construction of a large house. In 1846 he sailed for China on the Brig William Neilson, intending to purchase Chinese-made furniture for the house which was nearing completion. The ship was lost at sea, along with the American Agent George Brown, and Mary became a widow.^[3] Mary rented a suite of rooms to support herself and young John Owen. One of the first boarders established the American Legation in the house and named it "Washington Place", which was used as a governor's residence and is now a museum.^[3]

He attended a day school run by Mr. and Mrs. Johston that was next to the Royal School founded for the children of the native Hawaiian nobility. Dominis would climb the fence to look at the princes and princesses, and became friends with them.^[4]:11 For a time, Dominis was a mercantile clerk in San Francisco, and later he served as a clerk in a Honolulu commercial house.^[5] By 1856 he was on staff to a Prince, and accompanying the royal family on their travels.^[4]:13 On September 16, 1862 Dominis married Princess Lydia Kamakaʻeha Paki, whom he had met during school days. They had been engaged for two years, but had to delay their wedding due to the death of Prince Albert, the young son of King Kamehameha IV.^[6] The marriage was not happy. She wanted children of her own, but could not have any. John chose to socialize without her, and her relationship with his prejudice mother saddened Lydia.^[7] Liliʻuokalani notes in her autobiography that his mother considered her an "intruder", but became more affectionate in her later years.^[4]:24

His marriage to Liliʻuokalani and his friendship with King Kamehameha V brought him many honors. For example, he was a Royal Commander of the Royal Orders of Kamehameha, Kalākaua, and several others.^[4]:vii From 1863 he served on the King's Privy Council. In 1868, Dominis was appointed Royal Governor of Oʻahu and to the House of Nobles, offices he held until his death.^[8] He served on the Board of Health, Board of Education, Bureau of Immigration, and was Quartermaster General amd Commissoner of Crown Lands. From 1878 to 1886 he served as Royal Governor of Maui. In 1886 he was apointed Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief.^[9] Mary Dominis died on April 25, 1889, and he and Liliʻuokalani inherited Washington Place. On January 20, 1891 Liliʻuokalani became Queen when her brother King Kalākaua died, which made Dominis Prince Consort. Dominis died less than a year later on August 27, 1891 in Washington Place and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum known as Mauna Ala. He did have a child, John Dominis Aimoku, with Mary Purdy Lamiki Aimoku, born January 9, 1883. Liliʻuokalani adopted her husband's son in 1910, who changed his name to John Aimoku Dominis and married Sybil McInerny.^[10] They continued to live at Washington Place until Liliʻuokalani died on November 11, 1917^[11]

[edit] See also

• Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
• List of Hawaiian royal consorts

[edit] References

Preceded by Queen Kapiolani	Prince Consort of Hawaiʻi January 20, 1891–August 27, 1891	Succeeded by Monarchy abolished
Preceded by Mataio Kekuanaoʻa	Royal Governor of Oahu 1868–1891	Succeeded by Archibald Scott Cleghorn