Joseph J. Fern
| Joseph J. Fern | |
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Joseph J. Fern was the first Mayor of Honolulu.
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| 1st Mayor of Honolulu | |
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In office January 4, 1909 – 1915 |
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| Succeeded by | John C. Lane |
| 3rd Mayor of Honolulu | |
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In office 1917 – February 20, 1920 |
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| Preceded by | John C. Lane |
| Succeeded by | John H. Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 25, 1872 Kohala, Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Died | February 20, 1920 (aged 47) Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii (now State of Hawaii) |
| Resting place | King Street Catholic Cemetery, Honolulu |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Natua Sheba Kaiheku'i Alapai Emma Smith |
| Children | 14 |
| Occupation | jailer |
| Profession | Transportation |
Joseph “Joe” James Fern (August 25, 1872 – February 20, 1920) was the first Mayor of Honolulu from 1909 to 1915 and again from 1917 to 1920. During and after his tenure, Fern became one of the most beloved political figures in the Territory of Hawaii. He was one of the first members of the Hawai'i Democratic Party.
Fern was born on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi to James Fern and Kaipua Kaipo Luahoomae. In 1885, Fern worked in the town of Kohala at the Union Mill Plantation. In 1892, he moved to the island of Oʻahu to work at the Hawaiian Tramways Company, driving trolleys and streetcars through downtown Honolulu. In 1894, Fern traded jobs to work as a ship's master at the Wilder Steamship Company.
At the time the Democratic Party had been deadlocked with infighting although Fern could not be free from the feuds he preferred to avoid them. In 1907, Fern was influenced to run for a seat on the Honolulu Board of Supervisors. He won the election and served for two years before the creation of the office of Mayor of Honolulu. The office of mayor was created upon the insistence of Washington, DC despite the opposition of the Big Five oligarchy that dominated the economy of Hawaii. Fern was multilingual speaking Hawaiian, English, Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese and used it to his advantage throughout his political career. Another advantage he had was with his avoidance of the Democratic infighting he made few enemies which resulted in relatively united support by Democrats for Fern. On January 4, 1909, Fern won the special election for the newly created mayor’s office by a margin of 7 votes and re-elected in the regular elections in 1910 with a margin of less than 100 votes. In 1915, he lost a reelection bid against Hawai'i Republican Party member John Lane. After leaving office Fern was appointed City Jailer by Sheriff Charles Rose. When Lane tried to run for reelection, Fern challenged his successor again and won by 300 votes.
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