Series 105 - Pilotage Records

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

Department of Interior: Bureau of Public Works: 1845 - June 1900

Laws enacted in 1845 and 1846 established the Department of Interior to manage the Kingdom of Hawaii's internal affairs.

One of the responsibilities of the Department of Interior, which was headed by the Minister of Interior, was the management and supervision of internal improvements undertaken by the Hawaiian government.

The Minister of Interior had the authority, with the approval of the King in Privy Council, to appoint a Superintendent of Public Works to assist him in directing the Kingdom's internal improvements.

From 1855-1857, the Bureau of Public Improvement was a part of the Department of War. It then, once again, became a part of the Department of Interior.

In the pre-Territorial period, the Superintendent of Public Works, as the executive in charge of the Bureau of Public Works, was responsible for government buildings, prisons, pounds, harbors, piers, wharves, lighthouses, beacons, sewage systems, electric lights, and certain roads and bridges.

The Superintendent of Public Works was also responsible for constructing public laundries and wash houses, acquiring and preserving heiaus and puuhonuas or the sites and remains, and producing surveys, maps, and plans of government lands, harbors, and internal improvements, as needed by the public.

The varied duties of the Superintendent of Public Works were not all assigned at the same time.

The last two Superintendents of Public Works were Julius H. Smith, serving from 1884 to August 1887, and William E. Rowell, who served from August 1887 to June 1900.

Territorial Department of Public Works: 1900-1913

The Organic Act for the Territory of Hawaii, which became effective in June 1900, abolished the office of the Minister of Interior (Section 8) and empowered the Governor of Hawaii, with the consent of the Territorial Senate, to appoint a Superintendent of Public Works for the Territory of Hawaii (Section 80).

John A. McCandless was appointed as the first Territorial Superintendent of Public Works on June 14, 1900, succeeding William E. Rowell, who had served from August 1, 1887. Upon McCandless' appointment, Rowell became Assistant Superintendent of Public Works.

McCandless served as Superintendent of Public Works from June 14, 1900 - May 4, 1901 and was followed by: James H. Boyd (May 4, 1901 - December 2, 1902); Henry E. Cooper (December 6, 1902 - November 18, 1903); C.S. Holloway (November 25, 1903 - November 1, 1907); Marston Campbell (November 1, 1907 - November 1, 1912); Herbert K. Bishop (November 1, 1912 - May 2, 1913) and J.W. Caldwell (May 2, 1913 - August 15, 1914).

The records of the Collector General of Customs span the years 1841-1941 and include documents created by the Treasury Board, the Ministry of Finance, the Superintendent of Public Works and The Board of Harbor Commissioners. These records reflect the various functions, which were: the collection of customs duties; the regulation of entry and departure of passengers and cargo; the moorage of vessels; and the administration of the harbor.

Although official records of the Collector General of Customs begin in 1841, earlier documents indicate that the functions of the Harbor Master were carried out by Alexander Adams and Stephen Reynolds prior to that time. Related 20th century records may be found in the Board of Harbor Commissioners. Printed reports are filed in the Government Publication Collections. Broadsides and Tables of Customs House statistics are available for 1843-1873