John Mott-Smith

The Honourable John Mott-Smith
Minister of Finance
In office December 21, 1869 – August 25, 1872
Monarch	Kamehameha V
Preceded by	Charles Coffin Harris
Succeeded by	Robert Stirling
In office July 28, 1891 – October 17, 1891
Monarch	Liliuokalani
Preceded by	Samuel Parker
Succeeded by	Samuel Parker
Minister of Interior
In office December 5, 1876 – July 3, 1878
Monarch	Kalākaua
Preceded by	William Luther Moehonua
Succeeded by	Samuel Garner Wilder
Minister to the United States
In office 1891 – January 17, 1893
Monarch	Liliuokalani
Preceded by	Henry A. P. Carter
Personal details
Born	(1824-11-25)November 25, 1824 New York City, New York, United States
Died	August 10, 1895(1895-08-10) (aged 70) Honolulu, Oahu, Kingdom of Hawaii
Resting place	Oahu Cemetery
Nationality	Kingdom of Hawaii
Spouse(s)	Ellen Dominis Paty
Children	7
Occupation	Dentist, Diplomat, Politician

John Mott-Smith (1824–1895) was the first dentist to set up a permanent practice in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was also a politician, newspaper editor, and diplomat.

Life

John Mott-Smith was born in New York City November 13, 1824, His father was also named John Mott Smith (1795–1832), generally spelled without the hyphen, and mother was Amada Day. His father had trained as a physician, but became a Methodist minister instead, and was Principal of Wesleyan Seminary in New York in 1820. In 1826 the family moved to White Plains, New York with the school, and then in 1832 to Middletown, Connecticut where his father became a professor of classical languages at the new Wesleyan University.^[1] His father died in 1832 and was one of the first burials in the university cemetery.^[2] Subsequently, having attended Wesleyan, the young Mott-Smith borrowed a book from a friend who was attending dental school and passed the exams to set up a practice in Albany, New York. He moved to California as part of the California Gold Rush in 1849 and practised dentistry there for two years. He sailed to Hawaii in early 1851.^[3]

He was only the third Western-trained dentist in the Hawaiian islands and the first to set up a permanent practice. Two others, M. B. Stevens and George Colburn left after brief stays in the previous two years.^[3] For about 15 years he did most of the dental work in Honolulu. He shared an office building with physician William Hillebrand. In 1853 he had his first taste of politics when he was elected to the House of Representatives in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom.^[4]

His dentist office in 1853

In 1866 Mott-Smith gave up his dental practice to John Morgan Whitney, the first in Hawaii to actually graduate from a dental school.^[3] He became editor of the newspaper Hawaiian Gazette. He used the paper to defend the monarchy, which gained him favor with King Kamehameha V, who made it the official government publication.^[5] He returned to the legislature in 1866, and was elected Vice President of it in 1867. In 1868 he was sent to Washington, DC to help Elisha Hunt Allen negotiate a trade treaty, but was not successful. On December 21, 1869 he returned and was appointed to the powerful post of Minister of Finance in the cabinet. He served until August 25, 1872.^[4] With the king's influence, he was an investor with fellow American politician Charles Coffin Harris in the first Hawaiian Hotel. The government issued bonds to finance its construction.^[6] After Kamehameha V's death at the end of 1872, Mott-Smith was out of political power and resumed practising dentistry^[3] while he was on the Board of Education until 1874.

After the liberal King Lunalilo died and King Kalākaua was elected in 1874, monarchists were back in political favor. On December 4, 1876 Mott-Smith was appointed Minister of Interior, serving until July 3, 1878. From 1876 through 1886 he served in the upper House of Nobles in the kingdom legislature when he was not traveling.^[4] It was widely suspected that Kalākaua's replacement of his cabinet was influenced by Claus Spreckles, who refinanced the King's debts the night before, in order to secure water rights for his sugarcane plantation on Maui.^[7][8] Since the bachelor Lunalilo left no heirs, Mott-Smith was appointed to the first board of trustees of the Lunalilo Trust.^[9] In 1884 he was put in charge of the Hawaii exhibits at the World Cotton Centennial in New Orleans, Louisiana. He returned and was appointed Minister of Finance by Queen Liliʻuokalani on July 28, 1891. However, by October 17, 1891 he resigned and was sent back to Washington.^[4] Samuel Parker acted as finance minister both before and after him. His hope was to negotiate a replacement for the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875, but he was recalled after the 1893 Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His position was just below the diplomatic rank of modern-day Ambasador. He retired to Honolulu where he died August 10, 1895 after an illness of several weeks.^[10][11] After a funeral at the Sain Andrew Cathedral he was buried in Oahu Cemetery.^[12]

Family and legacy

In 1859 he married Ellen Dominis Paty. They had seven children. Son Ernest Augustus Mott-Smith was born May 12, 1873 went to Harvard law school briefly, married Anna Elizabeth Paty in 1896 and became active in politics.^[13] He practised law, and served on various government boards of the Territory of Hawaii, such as the Board of Health from 1901–1925, and territorial secretary from 1907–1914.^[14] Other sons were Harold Meade Smith and Martin Churchill Smith. Daughters were Martha Paty Smith, Myra Harris Smith who married Reverend James B. Thomas, Ida Campbell Smith who married R. M. Lovett in Chicago, and May Henderson Smith. He left a substantial estate after investing in sugar plantations in Hawaii^[15] which his newspaper had earlier promoted.^[16]

A Mott-Smith building and Mott-Smith drive in Makiki at 21°18′33″N 157°50′13″W / 21.30917°N 157.83694°W / 21.30917; -157.83694 (Mott-Smith drive) are named for him.^[17] The three story brick building built in 1897 at the corner of Hotel and Fort Streets (the site of his former office, later known as The Hub) contained the second electric elevator in Hawaii.^[18]

See also

• Relations between the Kingdom of Hawaii and the United States
• List of bilateral treaties signed by the Kingdom of Hawaii

References

Further reading

• Robert M. Gibson, Terry Lawhead (1989). Dr. John Mott-Smith: Hawaii's first royal dentist and last royal ambassador. Smilepower Institute. ISBN 978-0-9623371-1-6. 

Hawaiian Minister of Finance Kingdom of Hawaii 1843–1893 Gerrit P. Judd Edwin O. Hall Gerrit P. Judd Elisha H. Allen Robert C. Wyllie David Lawrence Gregg Robert C. Wyllie Charles G. Hopkins Charles de Varigny Charles C. Harris John Mott-Smith Robert Stirling Paul Nahaolelua John S. Walker John M. Kapena Simon K. Kaai Moses Kuaea John S. Walker John E. Bush Simon K. Kaai John M. Kapena Charles T. Gulick Paul P. Kanoa Godfrey Brown Samuel M. Damon Godfrey Brown Hermann A. Widemann Samuel Parker John Mott-Smith Samuel Parker Hermann A. Widemann Edward C. Macfarlane William H. Cornwell Peter C. Jones William H. Cornwell Provisional Government of Hawaii 1893–1894 Peter C. Jones Theodore C. Porter Republic of Hawaii 1894–1900 Samuel M. Damon James A. King Samuel M. Damon Henry E. Cooper Theodore F. Lansing Samuel M. Damon

Hawaiian Minister of the Interior Kingdom of Hawaii 1843–1893 Gerrit Parmele Judd John Kalaipaihala Young II Lot Kapuāiwa George Morison Robertson Charles Gordon Hopkins Ferdinand William Hutchison Edwin Oscar Hall Hermann Adam Widemann William Lowthian Green William Luther Moehonua John Mott-Smith Samuel Garner Wilder John Edward Bush Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter Simon Kaloa Kaai John Edward Bush Walter Murray Gibson Charles Thomas Gulick Walter Murray Gibson Luther Aholo Lorrin Andrews Thurston Jonathan Austin Lorrin Andrews Thurston Charles Nicholas Spencer Charles Thomas Gulick George Norton Wilcox John Francis Colburn Provisional Government of Hawaii 1893–1894 James Anderson King Republic of Hawaii 1894–1900 James Anderson King Henry Ernest Cooper James Anderson King Henry Ernest Cooper James Anderson King Henry Ernest Cooper