On the deathbed of Kamehameha V, the king asked Bernice Pauahi Bishop to be his successor. As the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I, and an admired woman of high status in the kingdom, Pauahi was a logical choice as heir.
Yet she turned down the king's request, bringing an end to the Kamehameha dynasty and altering the course of Hawaiian royal history.
It was not the first time Pauahi had turned down Lot Kamehameha. Betrothed to the future king in 1848, she instead decided to elope with an American, Charles Reed Bishop, destined to become a Hawai'i leader, financier and philanthropist.
The couple never had children of their own, although Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani offered Pauahi her child through the Hawaiian tradition of hanai. Sadly, the child died within six months.
Although never queen, Pauahi still had a profound effect on Hawaiian history. In 1883 she inherited the bulk of the Kamehameha lands from Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani.
In keeping with Pauahi's will, following her death on Oct. 16, 1884, her vast estate was used to establish the Kamehameha Schools for the benefit of the Hawaiian people. Her husband founded the Bishop Museum as a memorial to his wife.
