Captain or below Charles Thomas Rooke

Captain or below Charles Thomas Rooke
Title:Captain or below
First name:Charles
Middle name(s):Thomas
Surname:Rooke
Year elected:1843
Last year on list:1856
MembershipNaval
Thomas Charles Byde Rooke (18 May 1806 – 28 November 1858) was an English physician who married into the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He built a mansion called the Rooke House in Honolulu that became popular with political and social leaders of the Kingdom.

Rooke served as a representative to the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1851–1855, and in 1858 was appointed to the Privy Council.

He was a founding member of the first Hawaii Medical Association, along with Charles Guillou, William Hillebrand and Gerrit P. Judd in 1856. In 1856 his adoptive daughter became Queen Consort Emma when she married King Kamehameha IV. He brought two influences from his native land: Anglicanism and Freemasonry. He attended his adopted son-in-law Kamehameha IV's Freemason initiation ceremony in January 1857.

Rooke died of apoplexy on 28 November 1858, at Kailua-Kona. He was buried in the cemetery on the Iolani Palace grounds and later his remains were transferred to the at the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii. He was one of the only four Europeans allowed to be buried at the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii.

If Rooke had lived a few months longer, he would have seen the establishment of The Queen's Medical Center, established through funds raised by Emma and Kamehameha IV. His medical instruments were donated to the hospital.

He owned some land in a part of Nuʻuanu valley called Waolani that came to ne known as "Rooke's Valley". Queen Emma's uncle Keoni Ana, the premier, built a summer home in Nu`uanu called Hānaiakamālama and bequeathed it to Emma. Used as a summer retreat by Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, it is now a museum. A street was named Rooke Avenue for Dr. Rooke in that area at 21°20′7″N 157°50′51″W. Another part of the land became the Oahu Country Club golf course. He also owned some land on Kauaʻi island.

Yachts Owned

There were no results.

More Images