William Hyde Rice
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The Honorable William Hyde Rice |
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William Hyde Rice in his uniform as Governor of Kauai
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| Governor of Kauai | |
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In office 1892–1893 |
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| Monarch | Queen Liliʻuokalani |
| Preceded by | Lanihau |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 23, 1846 Honolulu, Oahu, Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Died | June 15, 1924 (aged 77) Territory of Hawaii, United States |
| Nationality |
Kingdom of Hawaii Republic of Hawaii United States |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Waterhouse |
| Children | 8 |
| Occupation | Businessman, politician |
| Religion | Congregationalism |
| Signature |  |
William Hyde Rice (July 23, 1846 – June 15, 1924) was a businessman and politician during the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He collected and published legends of Hawaiian mythology.
William Hyde Rice was born at Honolulu, Hawaii on July 23, 1846. His father was William Harrison Rice (1813–1863), and mother was Mary Sophia Hyde; both were Protestant missionary teachers at Oahu College (later Punahou School). At an early age Rice began to amass knowledge of Hawaiian culture, myths and legends—along with his fortune. Like his father, he was a student of Hawaiian legends, especially the myth of Pele.
In 1854 the family moved to Līhuʻe on the island of Kauaʻi. His father became manager of a sugarcane plantation, and in 1856, his father completed the first irrigation system for sugar for the Lihue Plantation in East Kauaʻi. He attended a boarding school at Kōloa, run by Reverend Daniel Dole. He then attended Oahu College, and Braton's College in Oakland, California. In Honolulu, on October 17, 1872 he married Mary Waterhouse (1847–1933), and had eight children:
In 1872, 26-year-old Rice formed Kipu Plantation and Lihue Ranch, purchasing the Kipu parcel from Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani for $3,000 to breed cattle and fine horses. His family became one of the top ten private landowers on the island.
Rice served in the Hawaiian House of Representatives from 1870–1872 and from 1882-1884, and in the Senate from 1886-1890. Rice helped to draw up the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii (known as the "Bayonet Constitution") and was one of the 13 committeemen who physically pressured King David Kalakaua into signing it. He was appointed the last of the Governors of Kauai in 1891 by Queen Liliʻuokalani, whom he later helped to overthrow and place under house arrest, participating in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. Rice then served his childhood friend Sanford B. Dole, son of his school-master, who was named President of the new Republic of Hawaii, in the Senate from 1895–1898.
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