George Morison Robertson
George Morison Robertson | |
---|---|
Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
In office 1852–1853 | |
Preceded by | William Little Lee |
Succeeded by | Asa G. Thurston |
In office 1855 – January 3, 1859 | |
Preceded by | Asa G. Thurston |
Succeeded by | James W. Austin |
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii | |
In office January 10, 1855 – December 24, 1863 | |
Appointed by | Kamehameha III |
In office February 16, 1864 – March 12, 1867 | |
Appointed by | Kamehameha V |
Minister of the Interior | |
In office December 24, 1863 – February 16, 1864 | |
Monarch | Kamehameha V |
Preceded by | Lot Kapuāiwa (Kamehameha V) |
Succeeded by | Charles Gordon Hopkins |
Personal details | |
Born | Kingdom of Hawaii | February 26, 1821
Spouse | Sarah Symonds Humphreys |
Children | 7 |
George Morison Robertson (February 26, 1821 – March 12, 1867) was an early politician and judge in the
Life and career
George Morison Robertson was born on February 26, 1821, at Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His parents were John Robertson and Anne Morison. At the age of fifteen, he settled in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada with his older brother.[1][2][3]
Robertson arrived in Hawaii in 1844 aboard the British whaling ship Peruvian. He was discharged and settled in Honolulu where he worked as a clerk in the firm of Skinner & Company. There he caught the attention of Robert Crichton Wyllie, a Scottish expatriate and Minister of Foreign Affairs, who recommended him to the Hawaiian government where he worked as Wyllie's assistant in the foreign ministry and later as a cashier and bookkeeper in the treasury department under Finance Minister Gerrit P. Judd.[3] In July 1848, he briefly served as interim or acting Minister of the Interior in the absence of Interior Minister Keoni Ana.[4]
In 1849, he took part briefly in the
Robertson was also elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the
Robertson was appointed to the Supreme Court of Hawaii in 1855 to succeed Lorrin Andrews. He served as the inaugural Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii from January 1, 1855, to December 24, 1863. He left his justice seat briefly to serve in the cabinet of King Kamehameha V as his Minister of the Interior from December 24, 1863, to February 16, 1864. However, unable to find a suitable replacement for his justice seat, the king reappointed him to the Supreme Court from February 16, 1864, to his death on March 12, 1867.[4][12]
On April 11, 1865, King Kamehameha V made him a Knight Commander of the
Personal life
In 1851, George Morison Robertson married Sarah Symonds Humphreys, an Englishwoman from
- James William Robertson, who served as chamberlain to King
- George Humphreys Robertson, who became vice president of C. Brewer & Co.
- Elizabeth Robertson
- Florence Robertson
- Margaret Ann Robertson[19]
- Grace Gordon Robertson
Robertson was initially a
Death
While on a vacation to
His obituary in The Pacific Commercial Advertiser noted: "Judge Robertson’s death will be a great loss to the community, but especially to the government, in which he was a wise counselor and an impartial, upright judge. Native Hawaiians always found in him a kind friend and adviser, and learned to trust to his wisdom. It will be impossible to fill the vacant judgeship with a man of the same varied qualifications, for there is no one living possessed of the knowledge of the native language combined with the firmness, impartiality and virtue which he had."[25]
Honours
- Royal Order of Kamehameha I.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Nellist, George F., ed. (1925). "George Morison Robertson, Jurist and Statesman". The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
- ^ Waldron 1967, pp. 1–5.
- ^ a b Van Dyke 2008, pp. 79–80.
- ^ a b c d e f "Robertson, George Morrison [sic] office record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ Van Dyke 2008, pp. 35, 49.
- ^ Moffat & Fitzpatrick 1995, p. 43.
- ^ Osorio 2002, pp. 67–73.
- ^ Spaulding 1930, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Van Dyke 2008, pp. 142–143.
- ^ "Election For Members Of Parliament". The Polynesian. Vol. 7, no. 35. Honolulu. January 11, 1851. p. 2.
- ^ Hawaii & Lydecker 1918, pp. 32, 35, 51, 55, 61, 64, 69, 74.
- ^ Van Dyke 2008, p. 170.
- ^ "Loss Of Am. Brig Fortunio". The Polynesian. Vol. 8, no. 2. Honolulu. May 24, 1851. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Waldron 1967, p. 5.
- ^ "Mrs. Robertson Dies, Aged 96". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu. September 23, 1919. p. 6. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Gregg 1982, p. 524.
- ^ "Robertson, James William office record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. State of Hawaii. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ Siddall 1917, pp. 218, 225–227
- ^ "Died". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu. October 2, 1862. p. 2.
- ^ Van Dyke 2008, pp. 84, 244–245.
- ^ "Robertson, Alexander George Morrison [sic] office record" (PDF). state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ Nellist, George F., ed. (1925). "Alexander G. M. Robertson, Jurist and Lawyer". The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
- ^ Siddall 1917, p. 225; Siddall 1921, pp. 339–341
- ^ Hall 1992, pp. 166–170.
- ^ a b c "Death of Hon. Geo. M. Robertson". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XI, no. 37. Honolulu. March 16, 1867. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Funeral of Judge Robertson". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XI, no. 38. Honolulu. March 23, 1867. p. 3.
Bibliography
- Gregg, David L. (1982). King, Pauline (ed.). The Diaries of David Lawrence Gregg: An American Diplomat in Hawaii, 1853–1858. Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society. OCLC 8773139.
- Hall, Dale E. (1992). "Two Hawaiian Careers in Grand Opera". The Hawaiian Journal of History. 26. Honolulu: OCLC 60626541.
- Hawaii (1918). Lydecker, Robert Colfax (ed.). Roster Legislatures of Hawaii, 1841–1918. Honolulu: Hawaiian Gazette Company. OCLC 60737418.
- Moffat, Riley Moore; Fitzpatrick, Gary L. (1995). Surveying the Mahele: Mapping the Hawaiian Land Revolution. Honolulu: Editions Limited. OCLC 33045472.
- Osorio, Jon Kamakawiwoʻole (2002). Dismembering Lāhui: A History of the Hawaiian Nation to 1887. Honolulu: OCLC 48579247.
- Siddall, John William (1917). Men of Hawaii. Vol. 1. Honolulu: OCLC 16326675.
- Siddall, John William (1921). Men of Hawaii. Vol. 2. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. OCLC 16326675.
- Spaulding, Thomas Marshall (1930). "Early Years of the Hawaiian Legislature". Thirty-Eighth Annual Report of the Hawaiian Historical Society for the Year 1929. Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society: 25–33. OCLC 2105039.
- Van Dyke, Jon M. (2008). Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawaiʻi?. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Project MUSE.
- Waldron, Else (1967). Honolulu 100 Years Ago. Honolulu: Fisher Print Company. OCLC 433915.
Further reading
- Cooke, Lydia (Pat) Schaefer (1973). The Family of George Morison Robertson and Sarah Symonds Humphreys Robertson After 122 Years, 1851–1973 (2nd ed.). Honolulu: Hawaiian Printing Co., Ltd. OCLC 10930635.