David Kalākaua

David Kalakaua (1836–1891) was the last king of the Hawaiian Islands, reigning from 1874 until his death. Elected by the legislature after the death of Lunalilo, he negotiated the reciprocity treaty of 1875 that opened the American market to Hawaiian sugar, built Iolani Palace and encouraged the revival of the hula, the chant and other native traditions suppressed under missionary influence, which earned him the name of the Merrie Monarch. In 1887 a faction of planters forced on him a constitution that stripped the crown of most of its power. The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, published under his name in 1888, was edited by his friend Rollin Daggett.