The First Trustees

Charles Montague Cooke (1849-1909)

Charles Montague Cooke was born in Honolulu on May 16, 1849. He was the second son of Amos Starr Cooke and Juliette Montague Cooke, who were members of the Eight Company of missionaries and the teachers of the Chiefs' Children's School. He would have been a very young child when Ke Ali'i Pauahi and Charles Reed Bishop were courting and married (1849-1850). He grew up with Hawai'i's ali'i at the school run by his parents.

When the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions began withdrawing their financial support form the Hawaii mission, Samuel N. Castle and Amos S. Cooke founded a business in 1852 to earn a living for themselves and their families. In 1866 at age 17, Charles worked as a clerk for his father's firm, Castle & Cooke.

He matriculated at Punahou School and Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst. In April 30, 1874, he married Anna Charlotte Rice, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Harrison Rice of Lihue, Kauai. They had 8 children.

After working for Castle & Cooke for a number of years, he founded his own business with Robert Lewers called Lewers & Cooke. He was also active in politics. In poor health, he left Honolulu in 1894 for California. He returned in 1898 to become President of the Bank of Hawaii and of C. Brewer & Company. At various times he was, president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association, the Sugar Factors Company, Limited, and the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce. He was a major philanthropist of educational institutions in the islands and supported the Y.M.C.A. He was a trustee of the Kamehameha Schools from 1884-1886.

Cooke was a strong supporter of the events of 1893, the Republic of Hawai'i and annexation to the United States of America.

For further information about C.M. Cooke read the following books at your library:
A History of C. Brewer & Company Limited by Josephine Sullivan
Charles Montague Cooke, 1849-1909 by Clarence H. Cooke.