October 16, 1884: The Death of Bernice Pauahi Bishop

“Ke Ali’i Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop (1831-1884) — founder of Kamehameha Schools.” Photo credit: Kamehameha Schools.

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I and the last recognized descendant of his royal line, passed away on October 16, 1884. See Avis Kuuipoleialoha Poai & Susan Serrano, Aliʻi Trusts: Native Hawaiian Charitable Trusts 1172 (Melody Kapilialoha MacKenzie et al. eds., 2015). Devoted to the welfare of her people and cognizant of the rapid social changes occurring at the time, Pauahi considered education the means toward future advancement of Hawaiian children. Id. For this reason, she established a charitable trust for the educational benefit of Hawaiian children. The charitable trust established by Pauahi’s will is Kamehameha Schools. Id. Originally the trust corpus consisted primarily of the lands set aside by the Princess. Today, Hawai‘i real estate remains a core asset of the trust. Id.

Income to support the schools’ educational programs comes from the lease and sale of the real estate holdings and from financial investments. Id. Over the years, the market value of the endowment has grown from an estimated $474,000 in 1884 to more than $11.5 billion as of 2017. See Hōʻike Kū Makahiki o ke Kula Kamehameha 2017. Kamehameha Schools, Pauahi’s legacy to her people, has become one of the wealthiest and most influential private charitable trusts in the United States.

Below are excerpts from Pauahi’s probate file which are housed at the Hawaiʻi State Archives. Transcriptions follow.

Petition for Probate of Will for Bernice Pauahi Bishop (Oct. 16, 1884), in In re Estate of Bishop, Probate No. 2425 (Haw. Sup. Ct. 1884) (filed in Certificate of Proof of Will) (available for download here from the Hawaiʻi State Archives).

PETITION FOR PROBATE OF WILL
SUPREME COURT OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS —-

To the Honorable A. Francis Judd
Chief JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

YOUR PETITIONERS, Charles R. Bishop and Samuel M. Damon
of Honolulu, Island of Oahu
presents to this Court the LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT ^ and two codicil OF Bernice Pauahi Bishop deceased and showeth as follows :

THAT SAID Bernice Pauahi Bishop
died in said Honolulu
or about the sixteenth day of October A.D. 1884, being
at that time a resident of said Honolulu and leaving
estate in the Hawaiian Islands. . . . .

Will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop (Oct. 31, 1883), in In re Estate of Bishop, Probate No. 2425 (Haw. Sup. Ct. 1884) (filed in Certificate of Proof of Will) (available for download here from the Hawaiʻi State Archives).

Know all Men by these Presents, That I, Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the wife of Charles R. Bishop, of Honolulu, Island of Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, being of sound mind and memory, but conscious of the uncertainty of life, do make, publish and declare this my last Will and Testament in manner following, hereby revoking all former wills by me made: . . . .