Keʻelikōlani

Keʻelikōlani
The Honorable
Keʻelikōlani in a modern portrait from 2018
Born(1826-06-17)June 17, 1826
Honolulu, Oʻahu, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
DiedMay 24, 1883(1883-05-24) (aged 56)
Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
Burial(1883-06-17)June 17, 1883
SpouseWilliam Pitt Leleiohoku I
Isaac Young Davis
IssueJohn William Pitt Kīnaʻu
Keolaokalani Pākī Bishop
William Pitt Leleiohoku II (hānai)
Names
Ruth Luka Keanolani Kauanahoahoa Keʻelikōlani
HouseKamehameha
FatherMataio Kekūanaōʻa
MotherKalani Pauahi

Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, or sometimes written as Luka Ke‘elikōlani, also known as Ruth Ke‘elikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa or Ruth Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Ke‘elikōlani (June 17, 1826 – May 24, 1883), was a member of the House of Kamehameha who served as Governor of the Island of Hawaiʻi and for a period, was the largest and wealthiest landowner in the Hawaiian Islands. Keʻelikōlani's genealogy is controversial. Her mother's identity is not disputed, while her grandfather Pauli Kaōleiokū's relationship to Kamehameha I is. While her father was legally identified as early as 1864, disputes to that lineage continued as late as 1919. As one of the primary heirs to the Kamehameha family, Ruth held much of the land that would become the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, funding the Kamehameha Schools.

Her name Keʻelikōlani means leaf bud of heaven.