Clarence W. Macfarlane

Commodore Clarence WIllam Macfarlane (March 8, 1858 – September 15, 1947), was a businessman and yachtsman of Hawaii. He founded the Transpacific Yacht Race in 1906 by sailing from Honolulu to San Francisco and back.

Born in March 8, 1858 in Honolulu, Hawaii, his parents were Richard (or Henry) Macfarlane (died 1860) and Eliza Macfarlane (1828–1904). His father was Scottish, of the Highland Clan MacFarlane, while his mother was of English descent. His parents married in Auckland and were early settlers of Hawaii arriving to the islands in 1846 via New Zealand. The youngest of six siblings, his brothers were: Henry R. Macfarlane, George W. Macfarlane, who served as Chamberlain of King Kalākaua, Edward C. Macfarlane, who served on as Queen Liliuokalani's cabinet minister, Frederick W. Macfarlane and sister, Helen Blanche Macfarlane who married William H. Cornwell, also a cabinet minister during the monarchy. All were born in the island with the exception of Henry who was born at sea.

During the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, Macfarlane and his brothers were supporters of Queen Liliuokalani. He later became a member of the Democratic Party of Hawaii after the islands became a part of the United States.

Macfarlane engaged in business in Hawaii. He worked for the sugar plantation industry in the islands and worked in the Waikapu Sugar Company, on the island of Maui, owned by his brother George and his brother-in-law William H. Cornwell. He organized the Oceanic Gas & Electric Company and introduced the first acetylene gas plant in Hawaii. He later went into a myriad of business including liquor, exporting and importing, and hotel management with his brother George. He managed the Seaside Hotel in Waikiki.

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