David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalakaua was born in Honolulu on November 12, 1836 to High Chief Kapaakea and the Chiefess Keohokalole. He attended the Royal School and had many careers, among others, in the militia, as a lawyer and as Hawaii's Postmaster General. King Kalakaua was nicknamed the "Merrie Monarch" because of his fondness of gala events and festivals. He was a patron of the arts, especially music and dance. He was married to Esther Julia Kapi'olani Napelakapuokaka'e who reigned as Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
Following the death of King William Charles Lunalilo in 1874 the Hawaiian Legislature elected 37 year old Kalakaua as the seventh king of Hawaii, He ruled the Hawaiian Kindom from 1874 until 1891. Kalakaua started his reign off with a tour of the Hawaiian islands which improved his popularity within the Kingdom.
In October 1874, Kalakaua sent representatives to the United States to negotiate a reciprocity treaty to help end a depression that was ongoing in Hawaii. In November, Kalakaua himself traveled to Washington DC to meet Ulysses S. Grant. An agreement was reached and the treaty was signed on January 30, 1875. The treaty allowed certain Hawaiian goods, mainly sugar and rice, to be admitted into the United States tax-free.
King Kalakaua was the first Head of State to circumnavigate the globe. He improved diplomatic ties by visiting with country leaders in Asia and Europe. In 1881, King Kala-kaua left Hawai'i on a trip around the world to study the matter of immigration and to improve foreign relations. He also wanted to study how other rulers ruled. In his absence, his sister and heir, Princess Lili'uokalani, ruled as regent (Prince Leleiohoku, the former heir, had died in 1877). The King first traveled to San Francisco where he was given a royal welcome. Then he sailed to the Empire of Japan where he met with the Meiji Emperor. He continued through Qing Dynasty China, Siam, Burma, British Raj India, Egypt, Italy, Belgium, the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the French Third Republic, Spain under the Restoration, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and back through the United States before returning to Hawai'i. During this trip, he met with many other crowned heads of state, including Pope Leo XIII, Umberto I of Italy, and Victoria of the United Kingdom. In this, he became the first king to travel around the world.
King David Kalakaua was instrumental in reviving hula, which had been banned by the missionaries.
Ruling the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kalakaua nearly single-handedly restored many of the nearly extinct cultural traditions of the Hawaiian people. These included myths and legends, and the hula, which had been forbidden by the missionaries for over 70 years. He also commissioned the design and planned the building of 'Iolani Palace at a cost of $350,000. Electricity and phonelines were also installed, even before the US White House. 'Iolani Palace is the only royal palace located in the United States.
By the year 1890 the King's health began to decline and continued to worsen until his death on January 20, 1891 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. His final words were, "Tell my people I tried." His remains were returned to Honolulu aboard the American cruiser, USS Charleston. Because he and his wife, Queen Kapiolani, did not have any children, Kalakaua's sister, Lili'uokalani, succeeded him to the Hawaiian throne.
In his honor, King Kalakaua's name lives on in the Merrie Monarch Festival, a hula festival held in Hilo, Hawaii. The festival hosts the largest hula competition in the world.
