Theresa Owana Kaʻōhelelani Laʻanui (May 1, 1860 – January 5, 1944) was a descendant of Kalokuokamaile, the eldest brother of Kamehameha I. She was a member of the House of Laʻanui, a collateral branch of the House of Kamehameha.
Birth and early life
Theresa was born on May 1, 1860, in Honolulu. She was born of high aliʻi descent, through her father, Gideon Kailipalaki Laanui, a brother of Elizabeth Kekaaniau who attended the Chiefs Children's School and was deemed eligible to the throne by King Kamehameha III. Her mother was Elizabeth Kamaikaopa, said to be a great-granddaughter of Keohokalole, the mother of Liliuokalani. She was a member of the House of Laanui, a collateral branch of the House of Kamehameha. Her children (except her daughters by Cartwright) and male-line descendants belong paternally to the Wilcox family.
As a child, Theresa grew up during the royal court of Kamehameha V and would often go to the palace to make leis for the king. She was one-eighth French by her great-grandfather Jean Baptiste Rives, who had twin daughters both being hanai at birth by Kaahumanu. One of the twins was given the name Theresa Owana Kaheiheimalie, the grandmother and namesake of the later Theresa. Aside from this French ancestry, she was otherwise of Hawaiian descent. After her parents died in 1871, she was adopted by her aunt Elizabeth Kekaaniau Pratt.
Marriage and children
She was married four times, although she only had children from her first and second marriages.
She married firstly Alexander Joy Cartwright III, son of Honolulu businessman and baseball pioneer Alexander Cartwright II on April 23, 1878. She was married under the name Theresa Owana Rives. By this marriage she had two or three daughters, an unnamed daughter born in 1879, Eva Kuwailanimamao Cartwright (1881–1948) and Daisy Emmalani Napulahaokalani Cartwright (1885–1957)
They divorced on April 5, 1883, and he eventually moved to San Francisco and married Susan Florence McDonald.
thumb|upright|alt=man in Victorian dress suit|Robert William Wilcox Going to congress in 1900
thumb|Daughter Virginia Kahoa Kaahumanu Kaihikapumahana
thumb|Son Robert Kalanikupuaikalaninui Keōua Wilcox
Her second marriage was on August 20, 1896
First Lady, politics and business
Theresa and Robert Wilcox owned and operated two Hawaiian newspapers, the Liberal and the Home Rula Repubalika, which were written in both the Hawaiian language and English. Their Newspaper was an opposition to the oligarchy's newspaper the Hawaiian Gazette which was run by Alatau Atkinson, William Richards Castle, William Owen Smith, Sandford Dole and Lorrin Thurston, and they were the conspirators who overthrew Queen Lili`uokalani. The Gazette later merged with the Advertiser, combining the voice of their occupied government as their newspaper was a mechanism to promote their regime through journalism. Their oligarchy newspaper promoted an "all white" territorial government of Hawai`i while the Wilcox's newspaper promoted the voting rights for Hawaiians to be restored. She had left the ball with U.S. vice president, Theodore Roosevelt to get something to eat because the snacks of sherbet and punch was to slim for her Hawaiian appetite. she was called upon by many, such as Queen Dowager Margherita of Savoy, Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa and the Chinese Consul, Chang Tso Fan during a reception on New Years Day. She was a master in coordinating luau's for events and political parties some attended by Liliuokalani, she was known for her large luau's at her Kaimuki home which was called "Luauville" because of it. She started her own Pa'u riding club and a hula entertainment business.
Queen Liliʻuokalani's alleged forged will and conspiracies
When Queen Liliʻuokalani died on November 11, 1917, two controversial wills of her estate were being presented for probate, the first one, a trust deed which was executed on December 2, 1909, was already in litigation for several years by Prince Kuhio. He filed a lawsuit against the trustees on November 30, 1915, for an annulment of the 1909 trust deed as being a result of a conspiracy on the part of Curtis Iaukea and John Aimoku Dominis. The 1917 will, said to be Lili`uokalani's last will and testament, divided her estate to Theresa and her two children, Elizabeth Keka`aniau, Prince David Kawananakoa and children, Aimoku Dominis and children, Fred Iaukea, Mrs Huchison, Curtis Iaukea, Mrs Lahilahi Webb, Mrs. Waikiki Heleluhe and daughter, Mrs. Kahae Aea, Mrs. Kahanuʻu Meek, Mrs Mary Auld, Mrs. Lilia Auld, Mrs. Laura Puhiula, Mrs. Kaahawelani and children, Mrs. Paakai Ulaula Bush and children, Mrs. Chas Guilick, Mrs. Ellen Dwight, Mrs. Anaole, Saint Andrews Cathedral, Leahi Home, Board of Health, Leper Colony Settlement, Lili`uokalani School, Wainee Church, Mrs. Hakanoaloha Mana, Mrs. Jennie Clark and Fred Beckley, (Presented at 840 a.m. November 19, 1917, clerks office), (#1142 Received and filed in the Supreme Court, Nov. 11, 1918, Robert Parker Jr., assistant clerk), Hawai`i State Archives. Soon after, Kamakaia was paid a large sum of money ($900.00) by an unknown foreigner and suddenly changed his story and said he lied and that the queen did not sign the will. Theresa pleaded not guilty and in her defense, she claimed that "it was all a cover up" by her enemies and that the queen did not trust them. She further stated that upon Prince Kuhio's lawsuit against the trustees, the queen had asked to prepare another will so she may leave something for her and her children since they were related. It was stated that Iaukea said the queen wanted to execute a new will and she had already started drafting one in July. She continued to maintain her innocence throughout her life. Theresa claimed next of kin as a great-granddaughter of Keohokālole, Liliuokalani's mother, through her own mother Kamaikaopa. Theresa claimed that Keohokalole had four husbands, Kumimeheua was the first husband and Kapaakea the second. Kauahaka was the issue of Keohokalole and Kumimeheua. Kauahaka had a husband by the name of Kaukahele and born was Kamaikaopa who married Gideon Kailipalaki La`anui and had Theresa. Her aunt, Elizabeth Keka`aniau testified in court that it was true along with other testimony from her mother's sister and by elder Hawaiians. But without further sufficient evidence, the claim was dismissed by the Territorial Supreme Court. The other three claimants, John Colburn, for the Kawananakoa minors was ruled against and dropped out of court, The trustees of Lili`uokalani's estate sued all three Theresa, Emma Defries and Nawahie, demanding to be re-reimbursed for court costs (First Judicial Circuit Court Territory of Hawaii, Filed April 2, 1919, Hawaii State Archives). Kuhio's case was settled out-of-court, in exchange of Kuhio dropping the suit, he was awarded the fee simple ownership of Kealohilani property and all his legal expenses were paid by the trustees, Washington Place was to be sold to the Territorial government.
Later life
In 1923, After Delegate Kuhio died, his widow received a pension from the U.S. Territory, Theresa claimed and petitioned to receive a pension also, stating that she was entitled as well because she was the widow of the first Delegate to Congress. Lorrin Thurston, agreed to her plead and represented her case with an article in his newspaper, the Advertiser. In support of her claim, he said that Theresa and Kuhio were both equal to the throne and that Theresa was a victim of circumstance and now she is in need of financial help as a widow of a delegate. The Territory agreed and Theresa received her monthly pension.
In 1936, Theresa's status as a member of the Kamehameha dynasty was called upon by Postmaster Wilson. The Postmaster received a postcard addressed to Kamehameha and did not know what to do with it, so he called on Princess Theresa to legally open the envelope. It was a request from a stamp collector in Pennsylvania asking to receive the new Kamehameha stamp. When the new Kamehameha stamps were issued, it broke national records in sales and 1000 stamps were endorsed by Princess Theresa. While endorsing the stamps, she wore her shell bracelet from Queen Ka`ahumanu and a brooch from Queen Emma in honor of the Kamehameha Dynasty.
In 1942, a huge luau was given for her birthday, some of the events were sponsored on the part of Mayor Petrie, endorsing the Royal Hawaiian Band to serenade her at her house on 7th avenue in Kaimuki where the celebration was held. Many friends and relatives called on her throughout the day and enjoyed the luau. The second grade students from Iolani School came to present her with leis. She was assisted by her daughters Eva Cartwright, Virginia Kapu Miller and her grand daughter, Helena Salazar, also her great-granddaughter, Victoria Kamamalu Shaw greeted the guests.
Death and claims
On February 10, 1909, Theresa married Lewis R. Belliveau. and on January 16, 1922, she married John G. Kelly., divorcing both. She continued throughout her life to stake claims for the restoration of the monarchy and inheritance of the crown lands that were being held and used by the Territory of Hawaii. In her life story published in 1936, she claimed she may have been queen and that someday she would restore the rights of Hawaiians to their land. If she was awarded inheritance of the crown lands of Hawaii, she would give each family beach front to catch fish and lobster and gather seaweed, and a mountain property to raise pigs, chickens and taro, also building free schools and free hospitals in every district, all anybody could need and want. Theresa Owana Ka`ohelelani died on January 5, 1944, at The Queen's Hospital and was buried at the Puea Cemetery in Kalihi.,