Quentin Kawananakoa
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Quentin Kawananakoa (pictured here with Elizabeth, his wife) is an ali'i of Hawai'i. Kawananakoa is most active as an organizer of the Republican Party of Hawai‘i. |
Quentin Kawananakoa, formally
Quentin Kūhiō Kawananakoa (born
September 28,
1961), is the current head of the
House of Kawananakoa and could claim the title of prince and heir to the throne of the
Kingdom of Hawai`i. His claim to the throne has been affirmed by historians and elders of the
native Hawaiian community, as a relative of the
House of Kamehameha and
House of Kalakaua. He is also an avid politician of the
State of Hawai`i having been elected to and chosen by his peers as minority leader in the Hawai`i State Legislature. Kawananakoa is also a respected organizer of the
Republican Party of Hawai`i and oversees the vast landholdings of the
James Campbell Estate, of which he is an heir.
Kawananakoa was born in
1961 in
San Francisco, California, the third son of
Edward A. Kawananakoa and his second wife Carolyn Willison Kawananakoa. He was raised in
Honolulu, Hawai`i where he attended
Punahou School. Upon graduating from high school, Kawananakoa went on to study at the
University of Southern California. He returned to
O`ahu and graduated from the
William S. Richardson School of Law. Upon obtaining his law degree, he served in private practice at the law firm Case, Bigelow & Lombardi until
2000.
In 1989, Kawananakoa was charged with third degree possession of
cocaine and pleaded guilty.
In
1994, Kawananakoa followed in his ancestors' footsteps and got involved in elected politics. Unlike his great uncle
Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana`ole, Kawananakoa joined the Republican Party of Hawai`i for its pro-business stances. He ran and won an election to become a member of the Hawai`i State House of Representatives, an office he served through
1998. During his legislative tenure, he rose through the ranks of party leadership becoming minority floor leader. During an attempt to mount a challenge for the Congressional seat held by
Neil Abercrombie, Kawananakoa abruptly retired from active political life after being hospitalized.
2006 Congressional campaign
In April 2006, after eight years out of the public eye, Kawananakoa announced his intention to run for the Congressional seat currently held by
Ed Case, who is not seeking re-election to his seat in order to run for
U.S. Senate. He officially declared his candidacy on April 23, 2006. [
1]
In September
1995, Kawananakoa married
Barbados native Elizabeth Broun. They had their first child in June
1996,
Kincaid Kawananakoa. In December
1999, the couple had another child,
Riley Kawananakoa. Both became recognized with the title of prince.
