The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-24
HAWAIIAN JUR|ST
CALLED TO REST
Hermann A. Widemann's
Death at Honolulu.
Special Correspondence Of The Call.

uONOT JTTJT. Feb. 15.-After long
end nainful illness Hon. Hermann A.
widemann. ex-Associate Justice Of the
supreme Court of Hawaii. died on the
7+h inst. Judge Widemann was a man
of strong and forceful character OF IN
domitable perseverance ana untlrlhs
energy. Save for his early nllllary
education he was, like so many profll-
nent men of this age, the arcnltecC ol
his own substantial fortune. SehsllINe
TO q. degree in connection with MS prlh-
ciples he was firmly loyal to the mon
.anchial institutions and traditions OF
Hawaii, and ever remained nrm anu
true friend of the native race, ana tnuS
became an active and prominent cham
MON of the cause of Queen Liliuokalanl
in the darkest hours of her trouble. His
Mace in Hawaiian history will not only
he marked by the many important OH
ces held by him and trusts falthtully
discharged, but more particularly by
his efforts in connection with coffee and
sugar planting interests, in which he
was one Of Hawaii's early pioneers.
His funeral was one of the largest
and most notably attended since the
death of the monarchy, although, at
. his especial request, it was shorn or all
pageantry, save that of police escort
and the government band playing
funeral marches at the grave. Among
those present were the President and
his Cabinet, the ex-dipIomatic and con-
sular corps, the judiciary and bar. and
so large a gathering of representative
citizens of all shades Of politics and
notably of Hawaiians, that the large
Catholic cathedral scarcely contained
those DESTROYS of paying their last re-
spects.
Hermann A. Widemann was born at
Hildesheim, Hanover. December "a,
1922, and had consequently passed his
seventy-sixth year. His father was a
veteran of the NapOleOnic wars of 1872
10 and fought through campaigns in
France and Russia with considerable
distinction, and Hermann was selected
TO follow his fathers profession and
therefore received an excellent educa-
ton. He left the army, however, i'm
patient of the delay in obtaining pro-
motion, which in those days came more
from influence than merit.
A brief commercial experience proved
uncongenial to his restless and ambi-
-tious mind and he deserted that life for
the sea, shipping IS cabin boy In lS4O
After serving for two years in the Bal
tic and Mediterranean he shipped on q
Whaler for the Pacific and landed al
Honolulu in 1S43. After cruise in the
Arctic ne returned to Honolulu and
thence went to Europe to study naVtga-
ton In 1876 he decided to make the
Hawaiian Islands his home and COM
menced his career as private tutor In
the Brown family. In 1848 the Call
.fornta gold fever seized him and he
rushed to the coast, tried and failed al
mining served for a short time in the
Custom House at San Francisco and
returned to the islands for good in 1849
He quickly entered into political life
and during this career held numerous
high offices of Importance and trust
In 1850 he married Mary Kauai, Ha-
waiian lady Of distinguished family, BY
whom he had two sons and sever
daughters-Carl manager of the Wal
amaze coffee plantation and one of the
leaders and field fighters of the royalist
rebellion of 1895; Hermann, holding G
position In the office of John D. Spreek-
els Bros. of San Francisco; Miss Anna
Wtdemann, and Mesdames H. R. Mac
farlane, Fred W. Macfarlane, c.. o
Berger, William LanZ, John NJ. Dow
sett and G. Conrad, who have given tC
him several grandchildren.
Among the official positions held BY
Mr.. Widemann were Sheriff Of Kaua.
under King Kamehameha "; Assoc
ciate Justice of the Supreme Court
Minister of the Interior and Minister
of Finance and acting Attorney Gen
eral under King Kalakaua and Queer
Liliuokalani; member of the House o.
Mobiles, both appointed by the mon
archy and again elected by popular
vote; q member of the Privy Council O.
SKATE and of the Board of Health.