Kapiolani

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Kapiʻolani
Queen Consort of Hawaiʻi
Birth name Esther Kapiʻolani
Spouse Kalākaua
Born December 31, 1834
Died June 24, 1899
Esther "Julia" Kapiʻolani reigned as Queen Consort of Hawaiʻi alongside King David Kalakaua.

Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of Hawaiʻi (18341899) formally Esther Julia Kapiʻolani or Esther Julia Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe, was married to King David Kalākaua and reigned as Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

She was the granddaughter of Kaumualiʻi, the last king of the island of Kauaʻi before being ceded to the unified Hawaiian Islands governed by Kamehameha the Great. She was also the step-daughter of Queen Regent Kaʻahumanu.

Queen Esther Julia Kapiʻolani's principal legacy was her establishment of the Kapiʻolani Maternity Hospital for native Hawaiian mothers. It survives today as the Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children. The premier park in Waikīkī also bears her name. Kapiʻolani Park was gifted to her by her husband, David Kalākaua, in honor of his wife. "Julia" was derived from Kapiʻolani's motto — "Kulia i ka nuʻu" (Strive for excellence). Kulia also translates as Julia. Because of this many books show that her first name to be Julia. Esther Kapiʻolani is her true birthname.

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