Everton Conger and Hawaii

[RJNorton]

From Laurie and Bob Cook:

"Several of us recently received interesting e-mails between Bob Cook and Richard Sloan with a tie-in to the Lincoln assassination via Everton Conger. I thought that others on this forum would enjoy the chat and the photos."

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"Everton Conger being out there on the Hawaiian Islands; and – to drop a few names here:

Conger’s grandson (Joseph Poindexter) rose to being governor of the (then U.S. Territory) of Hawaii and was in office at the time/year of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I mentioned this factoid (and who Everton Conger was re the JWB business) to the First Lady of Hawaii during a quite, private conversation between the two of us at the governor’s residence during an all-morning brunch party that Suzanne and I attended one of the times we that we were there and she (Mrs. Gov. John D. Waihee) seemed to enjoy hearing about all the Conger & Lincoln details that I could recall since she was a serious amateur historian in her spare time. I seem to remember her, at one point, even taking notes about what I was imparting. Nice lady – and our kind of person. I believe that I even pitched the Surratt Society to her but I don’t know if she ever joined.

As I remarked, Suzanne and I (as per our upcoming visit out there again) will have plenty of time to waft around Honolulu again (after she gives a (1/2-day speech out there) to pursue Edwin Booth and Fanny “Pretty Fay” Brown - and, perhaps, Everton Conger - some more since I’m just a (as usual) tag-along. I pretty much completed (on, at least, two past trips) the (fairly extensive) Princess Ka’iulani research that I wanted to do. She’s one of My Subjects - but with no Lincoln connection, at all, that I recall. Grover Cleveland: yes (when she was here in Washington, D.C.); Lincoln: no."


Victoria Ka’iulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawēkiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn
Crown Princess of the Hawaiian Islands


Washington Place: The Governor of Hawaii’s official residence, a mansion that was once a minor royal palace of Queen Lili’uokalani and her husband, Prince Consort John Owen Dominis. It was where Queen Lili’uokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The mansion is located across the street from the Hawaii State Capitol [and across from the Iolani Palace – “Book ‘im, Dano.”]


Iolani Palace

[Rob Wick]

Actually, Joseph Poindexter was Conger's son-in-law. He had married Conger's daughter, Margaret in 1897. In 1917 he was appointed by Woodrow Wilson to a territorial judgeship in Hawaii. The family moved from Montana, although Margaret was suffering from pernicious anemia. A few months after the move in March of 1918, Margaret died. Conger's granddaughter, Helen P. Morgan, told me after her mother's death, Conger lost his will to live. Two months later, Conger suffered a massive stroke which claimed his life. There was a funeral service in Honolulu but his body was returned to Dillon, Montana where it was buried.

Joseph Poindexter was appointed territorial governor of Hawaii by FDR in 1938. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Poindexter announced he was placing the territory under martial law, where it would stay in force until 1943. Poindexter's term was up in 1942.

Somewhere in my files I have a photo taken of the family before they left for Hawaii.

Best
Rob