Board of Harbor Commissioners

Corporate body

Board of Harbor Commissioners

1911-07-01/1961-07-01

Originally, records of shipping and harbor affairs, dating from 1842, were kept by the Harbormaster under the Ministry of the Interior, and later by the Collector General of Customs under the Ministry of Finance. With the establishment of the Territory through the Organic Act of 1900, the duties relating to "streets and highways, harbor improvements, wharves, landings, waterworks, etc." passed to the Superintendent of Public Works.

On July 1, 1911, Act 163 transferred all the functions of the Superintendent of Public Works dealing with the ports and harbors to an independent Board of Harbor Commissioners "to control and manage the harbors, ports, docks, wharves and shipping throughout the Territory." It consisted of five members, the Chairman (who acted as Chief Engineer) being the Superintendent of Public Works, and the other four appointed by the governor. In 1951, Act 22 amended this to seven members, the Chairman again being the Superintendent of Public works.

When Hawaii attained statehood in 1959, the resultant reordering of the government placed the Board of Harbor Commissioners under the Department of Transportation. The composition of the Board remained the same with the exception that the Director of Transportation then became its Chairman.

On July 1, 1961, the Board of Harbor Commissioners was abolished and in its place the Department of Transportation organized a Commission on Transportation, consisting originally of nine members and later eleven members, to advise the Director of Transportation on pertinent matters.

Harbormasters: Honolulu Harbor
1820 - 1841 Alexander Adams
1841 - December 31, 1842 Stephen Reynolds
January 1, 1843 - August 19, 1846 William Paty
September 4, 1846 - January 20, 1849 D. P. Penhallow
January 22 - July 5, 1849 James Smith
July 6, 1849 - March 1853 Joseph Maughan
September 30, 1853 - October 7, 1862 H.J.H. Holdsworth
October 8, 1862 - December 31, 1873 John Meek
January 1, 1874 - September 11, 1879 Daniel Smith
September 11, 1879 - March 1909 Andrew Fuller
March 1909 - (d. Mar. 1911) William A. Clark
to October 1911 A.N. Tripp
to 1931 W.R. Foster
1932 - 1941 James L. Friel
1941 - 1945 Frank K. Unterman (Acting)
1945 - 1950 or 51 James L. Friel
195 - A.W.P. Jensen

The duties of the Board included the following:

1. Appointment and removal of harbormasters, pilots, pilot boat crews, and clerks, as well as setting of their compensation.
2. Supervision, planning, and design of construction and maintenance of wharves, piers, buildings, and (dredging of) harbors; drawing up of contracts for labor; and overseeing the execution of that labor.
3. Setting and collection of charges for services of wharfage, pilotage, towage, storage of freight in warehouses, and harbormaster's fees.
4. Ensuring the safety and cleanliness of Territorial harbors by providing lighthouse service, harbor police, lifeguard beach patrol, and oil pipelines.

Act 163, 1911.

1911-1951: The board consisted of five members, the Chairman (who acted as Chief Engineer) being the Superintendent of Public Works, and the other four appointed by the governor.
1951-1959: Amended to seven members, the Chairman again being the Superintendent of Public works.
1959-1961: The reordering of the government places the Board of Harbor Commissioners under the Department of Transportation. The composition of the Board remained the same with the exception that the Director of Transportation then became its Chairman.

Created on 1989-12, Janet K. Zastrow

• English

1989-12, Janet K. Zastrow: Created
2020-11-10, Joel Horowitz: Entered into AtoM