Sereno Edwards Bishop
| Sereno Edwards Bishop | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 7, 1827 Kaʻawaloa, Hawaii |
| Died | March 23, 1909 (aged 82) Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii |
| Alma mater | Amherst College, Auburn Theological Seminary |
| Known for | Theologian, political activities |
| Spouse(s) | Cornelia Ann Sessions |
| Children | Edward Fletcher Bishop Charles Artemas Bishop George Sessions Bishop John Sessions Bishop Elizabeth Delia Bishop Shaw |
Sereno Edwards Bishop (February 7, 1827– March 23, 1909) was a scientist, Presbyterian minister and publisher. He was an avid proponent of the United States annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, and aligned himself with the political faction who overthrew the monarchy under Liliuokalani.
He was born in the Kingdom of Hawaii during the reign of Kamehameha III, to missionaries Rev. Artemas Bishop and Elizabeth Edwards Bishop at Kaʻawaloa on the island of Hawaii. At the time of his birth, his father was in the process of translating the Bible into the Hawaiian language. His mother died three weeks after he was born, and his father remarried in December to Delia Stone Bishop.
At the age of twelve, he was sent back to the mainland for his education, graduating from Amherst College and Auburn Theological Seminary. He married Cornelia Ann Session on May 31, 1852, and was ordained into the ministry in June at the Third Presbyterian Church of New York City. The newlyweds departed immediately for Hawaii, arriving January 15, 1853. He accepted a position as Chaplain of the American Seaman's Friend Society in Lahaina, replacing Rev. Townsend E. Taylor. In 1854 he was elected as an officer for The Hawaiian Missionary Society. Minister of the Interior Keoni Ana licensed him in August to perform marriages in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Between 1862 and 1865, Bishop lived in Hana as a missionary with the American Missionary Association. His social ties to the family of Lorrin A. Thurston, who would be a key player in removing Liliuokalani from power, dated back to when Bishop became principal of Lahainaluna High School in 1865.
The Salvadorian ship Dolores Ugarte docked in Honolulu in August 1870 with several hundred Chinese coolie laborers, either indentured or slave labor, locked in the cramped ship's hold. Forty-two of the most seriously ill were taken off and abandoned, apparently by the ship's captain who saw no profit in taking them further. News of the incident created a controversy in Hawaii, not the least of which was a letter Bishop wrote to the Pacific Commercial Advertiser, taking his fellow Christians to task for their seemingly lack of reactions, "Where is your public sentiment, your indignation meetings? Your resistless popular wrath?" The Hawaiian Gazette rebutted the controversy, and Bishop in particular, while defending the captain.
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