William C. Lunalilo (January 31, 1835 - February 3, 1874) was king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874.

Early Life

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1872 Election

King Kamehameha V, the last monarch of the House of Kamehameha, died on December 11, 1872 without naming a successor to the throne. Under the Kingdom's constitution, if the King did not appoint a successor, a new king would be appointed by the legislature.

Several high chiefs declared themselves candidates for the throne, including Lunalilo. His main opponent was David Kalakaua. Lunalilo was the more popular of the two candidates. He was directly descended from a half brother of King Kamehameha I and was thus a cousin of King Kamehameha V. Because of this, many people believed the throne rightly belonged to Lunalilo since the only person more closely related to Kamehameha V, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, had already expressed having no interest in taking up the throne. Another contender for the throne was Ruth Keelikolani who was half sister to King Kamehameha. She was one of the favorites among the cheifs because she adhered to the old hawaiian ways. She was governess of Hawaii and refused to speak english even though she could. Her genealogy however, was too controversial and few people considered her as sutiable to take the throne. Some people in the kingdom believed that Lunalilo could have simply walked into the capital and declared himself king. Lunalilo, however, insisted that the constitution be followed and urged that every person in the kingdom take part in the election. He issued the following message six days after the death of the King:

"Whereas, It is desirable that the wishes of the Hawaiian people be consulted as to a successor to the Throne, Therefore,
   "Notwithsanding that according to the law of inheritance, I am the rightful heir to the Throne, in order to preserve peace, harmony and good order, I desire to submit the decision of my claim to the voice of the people."

Lunalilo, unlike his more conservative opponent, wanted to reform the Hawaiian government and amend the constitution to make the government more democratic and give people a greater part in government.

It was decided that there would be a popular election to give the people a chance to have their voices be heard. However, because the constitution gave the legislature the power to decide who would be the next king, the popular election would be unofficial.

On January 1, 1873, the popular election was held and Lunalilo won by an overwhelming majority. The week after, the legislature unanimously voted Lunalilo for king. It has been speculated that the reason for the unanimous vote was because each member legislator required to sign his name on the back of his ballot, and the legislators were afraid to go against the wishes of the people. Queen Emma later wrote in a letter that hundreds of Hawaiians were ready to tear to pieces anyone who opposed Lunalilo (see Potter and Kasdon, 1964).

At Lunalilo's coronation ceremony on January 9, 1873, the popularity of the new king was very evident. The church where the coronation ceremony was held (Kawaiahao Church) was filled to capacity and a large crowd watched from outside.

Reign as King

When Lunalilo assumed duties of the king, a huge change in the government's policy began. His predecessor, Kamehameha V, had spent his reign increasing the powers of his office and trying to restore the absolute monarchy that had existed under the reign of his grandfather, Kamehameha I. Lunalilo spent his reign trying to make the Hawaiian government more democratic. He started by writing to the legislature, recommending that the constitution be amended. He wanted to undo some of the changes that his predecessor had made when he enacted the Constitution of 1864.

For example, the legislature prior to 1864 met in two houses: The House of Nobles and the House of Representatives. The members of the House of Nobles were appointed by the King and the Representatives were elected by popular vote. Under King Kamehameha V, the two houses of legislature were combined into one. Lunalilo wished to undo the changes and restore the bicameral legislature. Among other changes he asked for was for a provision in the constitution requiring a written explanation to accompany any veto by the king and the right of cabinet ministers to be heard in the House of Representatives.

The King also looked to improve Hawai‘i's economic situation. The kingdom was in a state of depression, with the whaling industry failing. Commerce groups asked the king to look at sugar to improve the economy and recommended that a treaty be drawn with the United States to allow Hawaiian sugar to enter the nation tax-free. To make such a treaty, many thought that the kingdom would have to offer the Pearl Harbor area to the United States in exchange. There was much controversy over this, with both the public and in the legislature. When Lunalilo saw this opposition, he dropped the offer.

During his reign, a mutiny in the small Hawaiian army took place. Some members of the army revolted against the drillmaster and the adjutant general. The army of the kingdom was very small (made up of about sixty men). The king interviewed the troops involved in the mutiny and he persuaded them to lay down their arms. Following this, the king disbanded the army. From that point on until far into the reign of King Kalākaua, the Kingdom had no armed forces.

Illness and Death

King Lunalilo did not enjoy good health during his reign. He had some bad health habits; for example, he was an alcoholic. At about the time of the mutiny in the army, the King developed a lung infection. In hopes of regaining his health, he moved to Kailua. A few months later, on February 3, 1874, he died from tuberculosis. The King had reigned for less than a year and a month.

Lunalilo chose not to be buried at the Royal Mausoleum with the other Hawaiian monarchs and instead chose to be buried with his mother on the ground of Kawaiahao Church.

Like his predecessor, Lunalilo did not designate an heir to the throne. The legislature voted David Kalākaua to succeed him as king.