Joseph Oliver Carter Papers, 1893-1935

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Summary

Creators:
Carter, Joseph Oliver, 1835-1909.
Abstract:
This collection primarily contains correspondence written to Hawaiian journalist, diplomat, and financier Joseph Oliver Carter (1835-1909). Most of the collection is about Queen Liliuokalani, her property and finances, and politics in Hawaii including the 1893 revolution and its consequences for Carter, Hawaiian annexation by the United States, the Hawaiian government and royalty.
Extent:
199 items in 4 boxes
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of 177 letters, two manuscripts, 1 piece of ephemera and 17 newspaper clippings.

The majority of the collection is correspondence written to Joseph Oliver Carter (there are only two letters written by him, one of which is to Queen Liliuokalani). Notable participants include: Joseph K. Aea, attorney for the Queen; Calvert T. Bird, attorney for the James Campbell estate; Charles Reed Bishop; J. A. Cummins, Hawaiian royalty and businessman; attorney Clarence Woods DeKnight; journalist Julian Hawthorne; Hawaiian diplomat and politician Curtis Pi’ehu ‘Iaukea; Prince David Kawananakoa; William Kinney, Hawaiian businessman; G. W. MacFarlane, attorney for the Queen; reporter Julius A. Palmer; Abigail Campbell Parker, widow of James Campbell and mother of Princess Abigail Kawananakoa; Senator Richard F. Pettigrew; Hawaiian Chief Justice Alexander George Morison Robertson; Hawaiian politician Robert W. Shingle; Hawaiian minister David Willis Keliiokamoku White; Albert Shelby Willis, United States Congressman and Minister to Hawaii; and Charles Burnett Wilson, Marshall of Kingdom of Hawaii and Royal Guard.

Most of the collection is about Queen Liliuokalani, her property and finances, and politics in Hawaii including the 1893 revolution and its consequences for Carter, Hawaiian annexation by the U.S., the Hawaiian government and royalty. (Letters between Carter and Senator Pettigrew are all about the Hawaiian government and annexation by the U.S. as are the letters between Carter and his friend Ned McFarlane.) Other subjects include: James Campbell and his estate; Samuel Mills Damon; Benjamin Franklin Dillingham; Sanford B. Dole; Princess Kaiulani; Princess Abigail Campbell Kawananakoa; education in Hawaii; the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum; Punuhou School; Chinese and Japanese immigrants in Hawaii; Mormons in Hawaii; and sugar growing and tariffs.

The letters by L. M. Keaunui and S. K. Mahoe to Queen Liliuokalani are in Hawaiian.

The two manuscripts consist of a copy of a resolution made by C. Brewer & Co. stating that it is in full support of the provisional government of Hawaii and that any officer or employee that shows “any other disposition on the part of the Company as against the said Government, such action is disavowed by us as Stockholders…” and a printed copy of the “Proposed Investigation of the Government of the Territory of Hawaii: Hearing Before the Committee on Territories and Insular Affairs United States Senate,” from 1932, January 16.

The ephemera consists of a sheet of paper with three signatures including the Governor of Maui, John M. Kapena. The 17 newspaper clippings are about the Hawaiian Princess Abigail Kawananakoa, the possible statehood of Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands.

Biographical / historical:

Joseph Oliver Carter, Jr. (1835-1909), journalist, public official, diplomat, financier and philanthropist, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 20, 1835, to Captain Joseph Oliver Carter and Hannah Lord. Carter attended school in Boston at an early age. After returning to Hawaii in 1847, he finished school and began employment with A. B. Howe in Honolulu. He later worked as a clerk in the post office and became associated with H. M. Whitney, a dealer in books and a cotton grower in Hawaii. Carter then began working for the Pacific Commercial Advertiser until 1872 when he was elected to the Hawaiian Legislature. He was appointed Registrar of Public Accounts in 1874, after having been financier to prominent families in Hawaii. In 1880 he went back to business life becoming cashier and correspondent for C. Brewer & Co. In 1891, he became president of the company.

Throughout his life, Carter played an important role with Hawaiian royalty, the legislature and cabinet officers, often being called on for advice. He was the Privy Councilor to Queen Liliuokalani. During the 1893 Revolution, Carter sided with the Hawaiian people, working for their rights; he stood by the Queen’s side. After the overthrow of the Queen, Carter resigned his position at C. Brewer & Co. due to political differences with his business colleagues and opened his own business. He continued to be in charge of the business affairs of the former Queen, as well as trustee of the James Campbell Estate, the B. P. Bishop Estate, the Kamehameha Schools, and various private accounts and estates.

In 1898, when the question of Hawaii annexation came up, Carter went to Washington D. C. as a member of a mission to the present the cause of the Hawaiians, who were against such action. Carter held various other positions including Board of Health of the Republic of Hawaii and superintendent and teacher at the Bethel Church.

Carter married Mary Ladd, a member of another prominent pioneer Honolulu family, in 1859. They had six children: Charlotte, Mary, Rachel, Joseph Oliver, Sarah, and Henry Cushman.

Carter became blind in his last years, but continued his business dealings until his death on February 27, 1909. He was buried in Oahu Cemetery in Honolulu.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Bonhams auction #19421, lot #1030, October 10, 2011.
Processing information:

Queen Liliuokalani is a subject throughout the entire collection (she is the addressee of eight letters, which are listed under Indexing: Added Entries). Specific instances of her being a subject are not indexed in the finding aid, but her name appears on the folders where she is talked about. Other subjects not specifically indexed due to the number of items having them as subjects include: Hawaiian royalty, the Hawaiian government, the 1893 overthrow of the government, annexation of Hawaii by the U.S. and the issue of Statehood. These subjects can be found in the majority of the items.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by author.

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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