Keoni Ana

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John Kaleipaihala Young II or sometimes referred as Keoni Ana ʻOpio (1810 - 1857) was appointed Kuhina Nui by Kamehameha III because Victoria Kamamalu, the designated successor of her mother Elizabeth Kinau, was still a minor.

Keoni Ana was born c. 1810 Kawaihae, Hawaii. He was the only son of John Young, the English sailor who became a trusted adviser to Kamehameha I, by his second wife Ka‘ōanā‘eha the niece of Kamehameha I. His sisters were Fanny Kekelaokalani, Grace Kama'iku'i, and Jane Lahilahi. He had two half-brother James Kanehoa and Robert. Keoni Ana held several government positions, including service in the House of Nobles and Privy Council, as a Supreme Court justice, royal governor of Maui, and as chamberlain of Kamehameha III’s household. He aided in communication between native, and foreign elements in the community.

He succeeded Miriam Auhea Kekauluohi as Kuhina Nui. After Keoni Ana became Kuhina Nui in June 1845, the Legislative Assembly passed several acts that organized the executive ministries and departments of the government. This legislation provided that the Kuhina Nui serve dually as Minister of the Interior. More far-reaching was the creation of the Board of Commissioners to Quiet Land Titles, which would forever change the system of land tenure in Hawai‘i. Keoni Ana served on a committee to assist the king and chiefs in defining their rights and interests in the lands within the kingdom.As a very close friend and ally of the Kauikeaouli, Keoni Ana recognized that the Kuhina Nui’s authority challenged the King’s prestige and power. Keoni Ana supported Kamehameha III and IV in their attempt to abolish the office.

He position as Kuhina Nui was not renewed in 1855 by Kamehameha IV who chose his sister as the new Kuhina Nui but he remained Minister of the Interior.

He married Julia Alapaʻi but they were childless. He adopted his nephew Peter Kaeo, son of his sister Jane Lahilahi. He bought Hanaiakamalama in an auction and willed it to his niece Emma Rooke who use became Queen Emma and used at it as her summer palace. He died 1857 and was intombed in Wylie Tomb at Mauna Ala alongside the Hawaiian royalties.

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