Duke Kahanamoku
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku | |||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Haleʻākala,Honolulu,Kingdom of Hawaii | August 24, 1890|||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | January 22, 1968 Honolulu, Hawaii,U.S.[1] | (aged 77)|||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Waikiki Beach Boys | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku(August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer who popularized the sport ofsurfing.ANative Hawaiian,he was born three years before theoverthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.He lived to see the territory's admission asa stateand became a United States citizen. He was a five-time Olympic medalist inswimming,winning medals in1912,1920and1924.[3]
Kahanamoku joined fraternal organizations: he was aScottish Rite Freemasonin the Honolulu lodge,[4]and aShriner.He worked as alaw enforcementofficer, an actor, a beach volleyball player, and a businessman.[5]
Family background
[edit]According to Kahanamoku, he was born inHonoluluatHaleʻākala,the home ofBernice Pauahi Bishop,which was later converted into the Arlington Hotel.[6]
He was born into a family ofNative Hawaiiansheaded by Duke Halapu Kahanamoku and Julia Paʻakonia Lonokahikina Paoa. He had five brothers, and three sisters. His brothers wereSargent,Samuel,David, William and Louis, all of whom participated in competitive aquatic sports. His sisters were Bernice, Kapiolani and Maria.[7]
"Duke" was not a title or a nickname, but agiven name.He was named after his father, Duke Halapu Kahanamoku, who was christened by Bernice Pauahi Bishop in honor ofPrince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh,who was visiting Hawaii at the time. His father was a policeman. His mother Julia Paʻakonia Lonokahikina Paoa was a deeply religious woman with a strong sense of family ancestry.
His parents were from prominent Hawaiianohana(families). The Kahanamoku and the Paoa ohana were considered to be lower-ranking nobles, who were in service to thealiʻinui,or royalty.[6]His paternal grandfather was Kahanamoku and his grandmother, Kapiolani Kaoeha (sometimes spelledKahoea), a descendant ofAlapainui.They werekahu,retainers and trusted advisors of the Kamehamehas, to whom they were related. His maternal grandparents Paoa, son of Paoa Hoolae and Hiikaalani, and Mele Uliama, were also of aliʻi descent.[5]: 9 [8]
In 1893, his family moved toKālia,Waikiki (near the present site ofHilton Hawaiian Village), to be closer to his mother's parents and family. Kahanamoku grew up with his siblings and 31 Paoa cousins.[5]: 17 He attended the Waikiki Grammar School, Kaahumanu School, and theKamehameha Schools,although he never graduated because he had to quit to help support the family.[9]
Early years
[edit]Growing up on the outskirts of Waikiki, Kahanamoku spent much of his youth at the beach, where he developed his surfing and swimming skills. In his youth, Kahanamoku preferred a traditional surf board, which he called his"papa nui",constructed after the fashion of ancient Hawaiianolo boards.Made from the wood of akoatree, it was 16 feet (4.9 m) long and weighed 114 pounds (52 kg). The board was without askeg,which had yet to be invented. In his later surfing career, he would often use smaller boards but always preferred those made of wood.
Kahanamoku was a powerful swimmer. On August 11, 1911, he was timed at 55.4 seconds in the 100 yards (91 m)freestyle,beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor. He broke the record in the 220 yd (200 m) and equaled it in the 50 yd (46 m). But theAmateur Athletic Union(AAU), in disbelief, would not recognize these feats until many years later. The AAU initially claimed that the judges must have been using alarm clocks rather than stopwatches and later claimed that ocean currents aided Kahanamoku.[10]
Career
[edit]Kahanamoku easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1912. At the1912 Summer Olympicsin Stockholm, he won a gold medal in the100-meter freestyle,and a silver medal with the second-place U.S. team in themen's 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
During the1920 Olympicsin Antwerp, Kahanamoku won gold medals in both the 100 meters (bettering fellow HawaiianPua Kealoha) and in the relay. He finished the 100 meters with a silver medal during the1924 Olympicsin Paris, with the gold going toJohnny Weissmullerand the bronze to Kahanamoku's brother,Samuel.By then age 34, Kahanamoku won no more Olympic medals.[1]But he served as an alternate for the U.S.water poloteam at the1932 Summer Olympics.
Post-Olympic career
[edit]Between Olympic competitions, and after retiring from the Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled internationally to give swimming exhibitions. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii, by incorporating surfing exhibitions into his touring exhibitions as well. He attracted people to surfing in mainland America first in 1912 while inSouthern California.He trained and loaned equipment to new surfers, such asDorothy Becker.
His surfing exhibition atSydney, Australia'sFreshwater Beachon December 24, 1914, is widely regarded as a seminal event in the development of surfing in Australia.[11]The board that Kahanamoku built from a piece of pine from a local hardware store is retained by theFreshwater Surf Life Saving Club.A statue of Kahanamoku was erected in his honor on the Northern headland of Freshwater Lake,New South Wales.[12]
During his time living in Southern California, Kahanamoku performed in Hollywood as a background actor and a character actor in several films. He made connections in this way with people who could further publicize the sport of surfing. Kahanamoku was involved with theLos Angeles Athletic Club,acting as a lifeguard and competing in both swimming and water polo teams.
While living inNewport Beach, California,on June 14, 1925, Kahanamoku rescued eight men from a fishing vessel that capsized in heavy surf while it was attempting to enter the city's harbor.[13]Using his surfboard, Kahanamoku made repeated trips from shore to the capsized ship, and helped rescue several people.[14]Two other surfers saved four more fishermen, while five succumbed to the seas before they could be rescued. At the time the Newport Beach police chief called Kahanamoku's efforts "The most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen." The widespread publicity surrounding the rescue influenced lifeguards across the US to begin the use of surfboards as standard equipment for water rescues.[2]
Kahanamoku was the first person to be inducted into both theSwimming Hall of Fameand theSurfing Hall of Fame.TheDuke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championshipsin Hawaii, the first major professional surfing contest event ever held in the huge surf on the North Shore of Oahu, was named in his honor. He is a member of theU.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
Later Kahanamoku was elected to serve as the Sheriff ofHonolulu, Hawaiifrom 1932 to 1961, completing 13 consecutive terms. During World War II, he served as amilitary policeofficer for the United States; Hawai'i was not yet a state and was administered.
In the postwar period, Kahanamoku appeared in a number of television programs and films, includingMister Roberts(1955). He was well-liked throughout the Hollywood community.
Kahanamoku became a friend and surfing companion of heiressDoris Duke.She built a home (now a museum) onOahunamedShangri-la.Kahanamoku gave private surfing lessons toFranklin D. Roosevelt Jr.andJohn Aspinwall Roosevelt,the children ofFranklin D. Roosevelt.[15]
Duncan v. Kahanamoku
[edit]In 1946, Kahanamoku was thepro formadefendant in the landmarkSupreme CourtcaseDuncan v. Kahanamoku.While Kahanamoku was amilitary policeofficer duringWorld War II,he arrested Duncan, a civilianshipfitter,for public intoxication.
At the time, Hawaii, not yet a state, was being administered by the United States under theHawaiian Organic Act.This effectively institutedmartial lawon the island. After Duncan was tried by a military tribunal, he appealed to the Supreme Court. In apost hocruling, the court ruled that trial by military tribunal for the civilian was, in this case,unconstitutional.[16]
Personal life
[edit]On August 2, 1940, Kahanamoku married dance instructor Nadine Alexander, who had relocated to Hawaii fromCleveland,Ohio, after she had been hired to teach at theRoyal Hawaiian Hotel.Duke was 50 years old, Nadine was 35.[17]
He was initiated, passed and raised to the degree of Master Mason in Hawaiian LodgeMasonic LodgeNo 21[18][19] [20]and was also a Noble (member) of theShrinersfraternal organization.[21]He was aRepublican.[22]
Death and legacy
[edit]Kahanamoku died of a heart attack on January 22, 1968, at age 77.[23]For hisburial at sea,a long motorcade of mourners, accompanied by a 30-man police escort, traveled in procession across town toWaikiki Beach.ReverendAbraham Akaka,the pastor ofKawaiahao Church,performed the service. A group of beach boys sang Hawaiian songs, including "Aloha Oe",and Kahanamoku's ashes were scattered into the ocean.
Statues and monuments
[edit]In 1994, a statue of Kahanamoku by Barry Donohoo was inaugurated in Freshwater, NSW, Australia. It is the showpiece of the Australian Surfers Walk of Fame.[24]
On February 28, 2015, a monument featuring a replica of Kahanamoku's surfboard was unveiled at New Brighton beach,Christchurch,New Zealandin honor of the 100th anniversary of Kahanamoku's visit to New Brighton.[25]
A statue of Kahanamoku was installed inHuntington Beach, California.A nearby restaurant is named for him and is close to Huntington Beach pier. The City of Huntington Beach identifies with the legacy of surfing, and a museum dedicated to that sport is located here.[26]
In April 2022, NSW Heritage announced that Kahanamoku would be included in the first batch of Blue Plaques to be issued, to recognize his contribution to recreation and surfing.[27]
A sculpture of Kahanamoku flanked by a male knee paddler and a female prone paddler commemorating the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race was installed on theManhattan Beach Pierin 2023.[28]
Additional tributes
[edit]Hawaii music promoterKimo Wilder McVaycapitalized on Kahanamoku's popularity by naming his Waikiki showroom "Duke Kahanamoku's" at theInternational Market Place[29]and giving Kahanamoku a financial interest in the showroom in exchange for the use of his name. It was a major Waikiki showroom in the 1960s and is remembered as the home ofDon Ho& The Aliis from 1964 through 1969. The showroom continued to be known as Duke Kahanamoku's until Hawaii showman Jack Cione bought it in the mid-1970s and renamed it Le Boom Boom.
The Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex (DKAC) serves as the home for theUniversity of Hawai‘i’sswimming and diving and women’s water polo teams. The facility, located on the University’s lower campus, includes a 50-meter training pool and a separate 25-yard competition and diving pool. The long course pool is four feet at both ends, seven feet in the middle, and an average depth of six feet.
Kahanamoku's name is also used by Duke's Canoe Club & Barefoot Bar, as of 2016[update]known as Duke's Waikiki, a beachfront bar and restaurant in theOutriggerWaikiki on the Beach Hotel. There is a chain of restaurants named after him in California, Florida and Hawaii called Duke's.
On August 24, 2002, the 112th anniversary of Kahanamoku's birth, theU.S. Postal Serviceissued a first-classcommemorative stampwith Duke's picture on it. The First Day Ceremony was held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and was attended by thousands. At this ceremony, attendees could attach the Duke stamp to an envelope and get it canceled with a First Day of Issue postmark. Thesefirst day coversare very collectible.[30]
On August 24, 2015, aGoogle Doodlehonored the 125th anniversary of Duke Kahanamoku's birthday.[31]
In 2021, a 88-minute feature film was made about Kahanamoku's life.[32] [33] [34]It was later broadcast byPBSas part of theirAmerican Mastersseries.[35]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1925 | Adventure | Noah Noa | ||
The Pony Express | Indian Chief | Uncredited | ||
No Father to Guide Him | The Lifeguard | Short | ||
Lord Jim | Tamb Itam | |||
1926 | Old Ironsides | Pirate Captain | Uncredited | |
1927 | Hula | Hawaiian Boy | Uncredited | |
Isle of Sunken Gold | Lono | |||
1928 | Woman Wise | Guard | ||
1929 | The Rescue | Jaffir | ||
Where East Is East | Wild Animal Trapper | Uncredited | ||
1930 | Girl of the Port | Kalita | ||
Isle of Escape | Manua | |||
1931 | Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks | Himself | Documentary | |
The Black Camel | bit part as surf instructor | at 0:01:36 | ||
1948 | Wake of the Red Witch | Ua Nuke | ||
1955 | Mister Roberts | Native Chief | (as Duke Kahanamoko) | |
1959 | This Is Your Life | Himself | Episode: "Duke Kahanamoku" | |
1967 | Free and Easy | Himself | Documentary | |
Surfari | Himself | Documentary | ||
Source:[36] |
See also
[edit]- Google Arts & Culture - "Duke Paoa Kahanamoku"
- Google Maps - Public Art "Duke Kahanamoku"
- Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Lagoon
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- World record progression 100 metres freestyle
- World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay
References
[edit]- ^abcdMurphy, Kelly with Hallie Fryd (2013).Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timeless Crushes-From Cleopatra to Camus.USA: Zest Books. p. 109.ISBN9781936976102.
- ^abSee, Jen (August 24, 2015)."5 Things You Didn't Know About Duke Kahanamoku".MensJournal.com.Men's Journal.RetrievedAugust 25,2015.
- ^"Duke Kahanamoku".Olympedia.RetrievedJune 7,2021.
- ^"History of the Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge in Honolulu".honoluluscottishritebodies.org.Archivedfrom the original on September 30, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
- ^abcHall, Sandra Kimberly. (2004).Duke: A Great Hawaiian.Honolulu, HI: Bess Press.ISBN1-57306-230-8.
- ^abNendel, James D.; The Pennsylvania State University (2006).Duke Kahanamoku: Twentieth Century Hawaiian Nonarch.Pennsylvania State University. pp. 1–13.ISBN0-542-84320-X.[permanent dead link]
- ^Gee, Bill (April 18, 1953)."Fabulous Kahanamoku Family".Honolulu Star-Bulletin – via Newspapers.com(subscription required).p. 20.RetrievedFebruary 13,2018.
- ^Brennan, Joe (1968).Duke of Hawaii.pp. 74–76.
- ^Herbert G. Gardiner, PGS, Grand Historian."Duke Kahanamoku Paoa".Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2011.RetrievedMarch 22,2011.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Duke Kahanamoku", inNotable Asian AmericansGale Research, 1995. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.
- ^Osmond, Gary. (2010). "'Honolulu Māori': Racial Dimensions of Duke Kahanamoku's Tour of Australia and New Zealand ".New Zealand Journal of History.44(1): 22–34.
- ^Design, UBC Web."Duke Kahanamoku | Monument Australia".monumentaustralia.org.au.RetrievedOctober 3,2017.
- ^"Kahanamoku Helps Save 13 in Launch. Hawaiian Swimmer and Others Go to Their Rescue With Surf Boards. Five Are Drowned".The New York Times.June 16, 1925.RetrievedNovember 2,2010.
... swimming star, Duke Kahanamoku and his fellow surf-board experts, where the... of the beach here, credited with saving the lives of thirteen persons....
- ^Gault-Williams, Malcolm."Biography: Corona Del Mar Save".Legendary Surfers.Hawaiianswimboat.com. Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2009.RetrievedNovember 21,2008.
- ^"51-115-231 (2) | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum".FDR Library.RetrievedSeptember 29,2022.
- ^Duncan v. Kahanamoku,327 U.S. 304 (1946).
- ^Luis, Cindy; Bigold, Pat."Nadine Kahanamoku 'very special person'".Honolulu Star Bulletin.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
- ^"Athletes and other sport figures notable masons".Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
- ^"Famous Masons".Archivedfrom the original on December 24, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
- ^"Athletes and Other Sports Figures in Freemasonry".Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
- ^"Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola (1890 – 1968)".St. John's Lodge No 2, New Castle Delaware.Archivedfrom the original on September 30, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
Duke was a member of Hawaii Lodge #22, The Scottish Rite and the Shriners.
- ^"Duke Kahanamoku, Legendary Surfer and Swimmer, Gets Google Tribute".The New York Times.August 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 24,2015.
- ^"Duke Kahanamoku Dies at 77. Leading Swimmer of His Time. Olympic Swimming Champion of '12 and '20 in Freestyle. Best-Known Hawaiian".The New York Times.January 23, 1968.RetrievedNovember 2,2010.
Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimming star, whose international sports career spanned 20 years and who became Hawaii's best-known citizen, died today at...
- ^"Tribute to Duke".Harbord Diggers.2020. Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2020.RetrievedAugust 13,2020.
- ^New Brighton Honours Surfing LegendArchivedAugust 15, 2015, at theWayback MachineTV3, 2015
- ^"Duke Kahanamoku Statue".
- ^"Blue Plaques NSW".Heritage NSW.Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2022.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^Cole, Mark (August 31, 2023)."Catalina Classic statue dedicated".Easy Reader News.RetrievedSeptember 1,2023.
- ^"|website=honolulumagazine.com |access-date=March 17, 2019".Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2015.RetrievedJuly 22,2021.
- ^Father Of International Surfing To Be Honored On New Postage Stamp.USPS. July 30, 2002
- ^Plucinska, Joanna (August 24, 2015)."New Google Doodle Honors Duke Kahanamoku, the Father of Surfing".Time Inc.RetrievedAugust 24,2015.
- ^Jim Mendoza (January 24, 2019)."Legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku to be subject of new documentary".Hawaii News Now.
- ^"Waterman (2021) 1h 28m".Internet Movie Data Base.
- ^"WATERMAN, original documentary by Sidewinder Films directed by Isaac Halasima".
- ^"Duke Kahanamoku biopic to get television time on PBS". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. May 8, 2022.
- ^Duke KahanamokuatIMDb
Further reading
[edit]- Kahanamoku, Duke. "Do's and Don't's."Photoplay,September 1925. Tie-in toAdventure.
- Paniccia, Patti."Who Owns the Duke?: The battle for the trademark to Duke Kahanamoku’s name has been far less dignified than the man himself."Honolulu Magazine.November 1, 2006.
- Davis, David (2015).Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku.Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.ISBN978-0-8032-8514-9.OCLC906027798.
External links
[edit]- Works by or about Duke Kahanamokuat theInternet Archive
- Duke Kahanamoku (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fameat theWayback Machine(archived April 12, 2015)
- Duke Kahanamokuat theTeam USA Hall of Fame(archive July 20, 2023)
- Duke KahanamokuatOlympics.com
- Duke Kahanamokuat Olympic.org (archived)
- Duke KahanamokuatOlympedia
- Surfline bio of Duke
- Undated photo of Kahanamoku from the Library of Congress collection
- Duke KahanamokuatIMDb
- Duke KahanamokuatIMDb
- Duke Kahanamokudiscography atDiscogs
- Image of Duke Kahanamoku surfing in Los Angeles, California, circa 1920.Los Angeles TimesPhotographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,Charles E. Young Research Library,University of California, Los Angeles.
- 1890 births
- 1968 deaths
- American actor-politicians
- American athlete-politicians
- American male freestyle swimmers
- American male water polo players
- American military personnel of Native Hawaiian descent
- American surfers
- Burials at sea
- Hawaiian nobility
- Hawaii Republicans
- Hawaii sheriffs
- Kamehameha Schools alumni
- Male actors from Hawaii
- Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- Military personnel from Hawaii
- Military personnel from Honolulu
- Native Hawaiian sportspeople
- Native Hawaiian surfers
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming
- Olympic water polo players for the United States
- President William McKinley High School alumni
- Swimmers at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers from Honolulu
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- Water polo players at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- World record setters in swimming