Robert Hoapili Baker
| Robert Hoapili Baker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
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| Governor of Maui | |
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In office October 4, 1886 – August 23, 1888 |
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| Preceded by | John Owen Dominis |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Wright Everett |
| Member of the Kingdom of Hawaii House of Representatives for the district of Kona, Oahu |
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In office April 30, 1880 – August 13, 1880 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
c. 1845/1847 Waikapu, Maui, Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Died | April 4, 1900 Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii |
| Resting place | Kawaiahaʻo Church |
| Nationality |
Kingdom of Hawaii Republic of Hawaii |
| Spouse(s) | Emma Kamakanoanoa Merseberg |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | ʻIolani School |
Robert Hoapili Kekaipukaʻala Baker (c. 1845/1847 – April 4, 1900) was a Hawaiian politician who served many political posts in the Kingdom of Hawaii, including Governor of Maui from 1886 to 1888. Baker and his brother became the models for the Kamehameha Statues.
Hoapili was born 1845 or 1847. in Waikapu, on the island of Maui. His parents were Ikekeleiaiku and Malie. Of high rank, he was a sixth-generation descendant of Līloa and the ancient kings of the islands of Maui and Hawaii. His brother was John Timoteo Baker. Under the auspices of Anglican priests Rev. William R. Scott and Archdeacon George Mason, Hoapili was educated at the Anglican boarding schools: the Luaehu School in Lahaina, Maui and the St. Alban's College in Honolulu. He was educated alongside Samuel Nowlein and Curtis P. Iaukea.
In 1879, Hoapili and his brother John Timoteo Baker became the models for the Kamehameha Statues by American sculptor Thomas Ridgeway Gould. The statue was commissioned by King Kalākaua in honor of the centennial of James Cook's landing in the Hawaiian Islands. The original statue was cast in 1880 but lost at sea. A second cast was installed in 1883 at Aliʻiōlani Hale while the recovered original cast was installed at Kapaʻau, Kohala, the birthplace of Kamehameha I. According to Walter M. Gibson, "[t]he artist has copied closely the fine physique of [Robert] Hoapili [Baker]...and it presents a noble illustration and a correct type of superior Hawaiian manhood".
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