James Campbell, Esq. (February 4, 1826 – April 21, 1900) was a Scots-Irish industrialist in sugar cane processing, who became one of the largest landowners in the United StatesTerritory of Hawaiʻi, and a real estate developer. He was an immigrant to Hawaiʻi from Ireland. At the age of 51, he married for a second time, to a young woman who was a daughter of Hawaiian aristocracy. They had eight children, four of whom survived to adulthood. One of their daughters married into the ruling family, and their grandchildren were heirs to the throne of the kingdom of Hawaii.
He established the Estate of James Campbell for his heirs, which continued for more than 100 years as one of the largest landowners in the islands. In 2007 more than 170 heirs agreed to rework it as the James Campbell Company; only three cashed out.
James Campbell was born on February 4, 1826, to Scots-Irish William Campbell (1788–1879) and Martha Adams (1794–1871) in Derry, Ireland. Campbell was the eighth of twelve children. At the age of thirteen, Campbell boarded a ship leaving Ireland for Canada. He joined his brother John in New York City and worked for him. For two years in the United States, Campbell followed in his father's footsteps as a carpenter.
In 1841 he joined a whaling crew bound for the South Pacific; the vessel was shipwrecked in the Tuamotu Islands. Campbell and two shipmates were the only ones to survive by clinging onto debris and floating to a nearby island. They were captured by natives and held prisoner. Campbell persuaded the chief he could be useful by using his skill to make repairs, and their lives were spared. After a few months he escaped on a ship bound for Tahiti, where he settled and lived for several years.[1]
Lahaina, Maui
In 1850, the young Ulsterman boarded another whaling ship which reached the port of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Campbell took up carpentry again to make a living. In Lahaina he married Hannah Barla, who died in 1858, when he was about 32.[1]
In 1860, Campbell formed a partnership with entrepreneurs Henry Turton and James Dunbar. They established a sugar-processing plant, Pioneer Mill Company. Dunbar sold out of the business early on. The partners also bought the Lahaina Sugar Company when it went bankrupt in 1863.[1] With the boom in the sugar industry in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and high international demand, Campbell became one of the wealthiest people in Lahaina. He used his profits to purchase land on the islands of Oʻahu, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaiʻi.
In 1877, Campbell sold his interest in the Pioneer Mill for half a million dollars to Turton. The Pioneer Mill produced sugar until 1999.[2]
While raising his family, Campbell ventured into real estate with purchases of extensive parcels of land. One of his most controversial purchases was of flat, arid and barren 41,000 acres (166 km²) in the Ewa District of Oʻahu. Other businessmen criticized Campbell for making what appeared to be such a wasteful, unproductive investment and called him insane. In 1879 Campbell hired James Ashley of California to drill the first artesian well in Hawaii to use to irrigate his lands with fresh water. Campbell cultivated the land for sugarcane production and generated great profits from this property. Campbell continued to purchase underestimated plots of real estate and transformed them into productive agricultural districts.
He was appointed to serve in the House of Nobles (upper house of the legislature) in 1887 and 1888.[4] He and his wife were loyal supporters of Queen Liliuokalani at the time of her overthrow by the United States in 1893.
In August 1896 while in San Francisco, Campbell was kidnapped by Oliver Winthrop, who pretended to be asking real estate advice. Winthrop and an unknown accomplice took $305 from him and threatened to shoot him if he did not write them a check for $20,000. After being held for two days without food or water and enduring several beatings, he refused any ransom. The 70-year-old Campbell was released. Winthrop never testified, but was found guilty at trial.[5]
Campbell died on April 21, 1900, with US$3 million to his name, left in trust to his children and their heirs, and extensive property owned by his estate.
Campbell Estate
Kapolei, a new suburb of Honolulu, was developed from part of the land in his estate. In 2004 his 176 beneficiaries decided to form the "James Campbell Company" to manage the real estate of the Campbell Estate.[6] The conversion happened in January 2007, with only three family members cashing out.[7]
^ abcd(PDF). James Campbell Company LLC. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
^Gary T. Kubota (September 3, 1999). "Lahaina cane workers, lands face unpredictable future: With Pioneer Mill's last harvest, 'it's going to be all dry -- no more nothing'". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
^"Marriage record, Oahu(1832–1910)". state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
^. state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
^Joe Theroux (November 2009). "The Nerviest Man in Honolulu: Hilo-based historian Joe Theroux recounts the 1896 kidnapping of James Campbell". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
^Allison Schaefers (October 6, 2004). "Campbell heirs opt for private business: Estate beneficiaries will form a company to manage real estate". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
^Theresia McMurdo (January 23, 2007). (PDF). press release. James Campbell Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
^"James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge". official web site. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. February 22, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
^"History of the school". official web site. James Campbell High School. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
^. official web site. James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
External links
Second City of Kapolei
August 23, 2023
james, campbell, industrialist, other, people, named, james, campbell, james, campbell, disambiguation, james, campbell, february, 1826, april, 1900, scots, irish, industrialist, sugar, cane, processing, became, largest, landowners, united, states, territory, . For other people named James Campbell see James Campbell disambiguation James Campbell Esq February 4 1826 April 21 1900 was a Scots Irish industrialist in sugar cane processing who became one of the largest landowners in the United States Territory of Hawaiʻi and a real estate developer He was an immigrant to Hawaiʻi from Ireland At the age of 51 he married for a second time to a young woman who was a daughter of Hawaiian aristocracy They had eight children four of whom survived to adulthood One of their daughters married into the ruling family and their grandchildren were heirs to the throne of the kingdom of Hawaii James CampbellOne of the wealthiest landowners in HawaiʻiBorn 1826 02 04 February 4 1826Derry IrelandDiedApril 21 1900 1900 04 21 aged 74 Honolulu HawaiiOccupation s Carpenter BusinessmanSpousesHannah Barla Abigail Kuaihelani MaipinepineChildrenAbigail Campbell KawananakoaAlice Kamokilaikawai Campbell othersParent s William Campbell and Martha AdamsHe established the Estate of James Campbell for his heirs which continued for more than 100 years as one of the largest landowners in the islands In 2007 more than 170 heirs agreed to rework it as the James Campbell Company only three cashed out Contents 1 Early years 2 Lahaina Maui 3 Family life 4 Land holdings 5 Campbell Estate 6 Legacy 7 Family tree 8 References 9 External linksEarly years EditJames Campbell was born on February 4 1826 to Scots Irish William Campbell 1788 1879 and Martha Adams 1794 1871 in Derry Ireland Campbell was the eighth of twelve children At the age of thirteen Campbell boarded a ship leaving Ireland for Canada He joined his brother John in New York City and worked for him For two years in the United States Campbell followed in his father s footsteps as a carpenter In 1841 he joined a whaling crew bound for the South Pacific the vessel was shipwrecked in the Tuamotu Islands Campbell and two shipmates were the only ones to survive by clinging onto debris and floating to a nearby island They were captured by natives and held prisoner Campbell persuaded the chief he could be useful by using his skill to make repairs and their lives were spared After a few months he escaped on a ship bound for Tahiti where he settled and lived for several years 1 Lahaina Maui EditIn 1850 the young Ulsterman boarded another whaling ship which reached the port of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui Campbell took up carpentry again to make a living In Lahaina he married Hannah Barla who died in 1858 when he was about 32 1 In 1860 Campbell formed a partnership with entrepreneurs Henry Turton and James Dunbar They established a sugar processing plant Pioneer Mill Company Dunbar sold out of the business early on The partners also bought the Lahaina Sugar Company when it went bankrupt in 1863 1 With the boom in the sugar industry in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and high international demand Campbell became one of the wealthiest people in Lahaina He used his profits to purchase land on the islands of Oʻahu Maui and the Big Island of Hawaiʻi In 1877 Campbell sold his interest in the Pioneer Mill for half a million dollars to Turton The Pioneer Mill produced sugar until 1999 2 Family life Edit His wife and daughtersOn October 30 1877 the 51 year old Campbell married 19 year old Abigail Kuaihelani Maipinepine Bright 1859 1908 a Hawaiian woman of aristocratic family She had some Caucasian ancestry on her father s side 3 In 1878 he bought a house in Honolulu from Archibald Scott Cleghorn Cleghorn was brother in law to King Kalakaua and the heir to the throne Victoria Kaʻiulani was born in that house 1 The Campbells had four surviving children of eight born Abigail Alice Kamokilaikawai Campbell Beatrice and Muriel Campbell Four other children including a son James Campbell Jr died young Abigail would marry Prince David Kawananakoa of the reigning House of Kalakaua and assume the title of Princess of Hawaiʻi They had three children Princess Abigail Kapiʻolani Kawananakoa Prince David Kalakaua Kawananakoa and Princess Lydia Liliʻuokalani Kawananakoa These children would later become heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as the House of Kawananakoa Land holdings EditWhile raising his family Campbell ventured into real estate with purchases of extensive parcels of land One of his most controversial purchases was of flat arid and barren 41 000 acres 166 km in the Ewa District of Oʻahu Other businessmen criticized Campbell for making what appeared to be such a wasteful unproductive investment and called him insane In 1879 Campbell hired James Ashley of California to drill the first artesian well in Hawaii to use to irrigate his lands with fresh water Campbell cultivated the land for sugarcane production and generated great profits from this property Campbell continued to purchase underestimated plots of real estate and transformed them into productive agricultural districts He was appointed to serve in the House of Nobles upper house of the legislature in 1887 and 1888 4 He and his wife were loyal supporters of Queen Liliuokalani at the time of her overthrow by the United States in 1893 In August 1896 while in San Francisco Campbell was kidnapped by Oliver Winthrop who pretended to be asking real estate advice Winthrop and an unknown accomplice took 305 from him and threatened to shoot him if he did not write them a check for 20 000 After being held for two days without food or water and enduring several beatings he refused any ransom The 70 year old Campbell was released Winthrop never testified but was found guilty at trial 5 Campbell died on April 21 1900 with US 3 million to his name left in trust to his children and their heirs and extensive property owned by his estate Campbell Estate EditKapolei a new suburb of Honolulu was developed from part of the land in his estate In 2004 his 176 beneficiaries decided to form the James Campbell Company to manage the real estate of the Campbell Estate 6 The conversion happened in January 2007 with only three family members cashing out 7 Legacy EditWhat is now known as the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge was leased from the estate in 1976 It was purchased and expanded in 2005 8 James Campbell High School was named for him 9 The James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation was founded in 1980 10 Family tree EditvteKawananakoa family treeJames Campbell 1826 1900 Abigail KuaihelaniCampbell 1858 1908 David Piʻikoi 1845 1878 Victoria KinoikiKekaulike 1843 1884 Abigail CampbellKawananakoa 1882 1945 David Kawananakoa 1868 1908 Edward AbnelKeliʻiahonui 1869 1887 Jonah KuhiōKalanianaʻole 1871 1922 m Elizabeth KahanuKalanianaʻole 1879 1932 David KalakauaKawananakoa 1904 1953 Abigail KapiʻolaniKawananakoa 1903 1961 Lydia LiliʻuokalaniKawananakoa 1905 1969 Edward A Kawananakoa 1924 1997 Poʻomaikelani Kawananakoa 1926 1998 Kapiʻolani Marignoli born 1928 Abigail K K Kawananakoa 1926 2022 Quentin Kawananakoa born 1961 Notes References Edit a b c d James Campbell Esq PDF James Campbell Company LLC 2003 Archived from the original PDF on April 11 2009 Retrieved March 23 2010 Gary T Kubota September 3 1999 Lahaina cane workers lands face unpredictable future With Pioneer Mill s last harvest it s going to be all dry no more nothing Honolulu Star Bulletin Retrieved January 14 2010 Marriage record Oahu 1832 1910 state archives digital collections state of Hawaii Retrieved March 1 2010 Campbell James office record state archives digital collections state of Hawaii Archived from the original on August 11 2011 Retrieved March 1 2010 Joe Theroux November 2009 The Nerviest Man in Honolulu Hilo based historian Joe Theroux recounts the 1896 kidnapping of James Campbell Honolulu Magazine Retrieved March 23 2010 Allison Schaefers October 6 2004 Campbell heirs opt for private business Estate beneficiaries will form a company to manage real estate Honolulu Star Bulletin Retrieved January 14 2010 Theresia McMurdo January 23 2007 Campbell Estate becomes the James Campbell Company PDF press release James Campbell Company Archived from the original PDF on July 13 2011 Retrieved January 14 2010 James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge official web site U S Fish and Wildlife Service February 22 2010 Retrieved March 23 2010 History of the school official web site James Campbell High School Archived from the original on July 12 2012 Retrieved March 23 2010 The Foundation official web site James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation Archived from the original on March 28 2010 Retrieved March 23 2010 External links EditSecond City of Kapolei Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title James Campbell industrialist amp oldid 1162080830, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
