Queen Liliuokalani

When Kalakaua died in early 1891, Liliuokalani succeeded him, becoming the first woman ever to rule Hawaii. As queen, she acted to implement a new constitution that would restore the powers lost to the monarchy through the Bayonet Constitution. In January 1893, a group of American and European businessmen, with the support of U.S. Minister John Stevens and a contingent of U.S. Marines, staged a coup to depose the queen. A provisional government formed after the coup. In July 1894, the government proclaimed the Republic of Hawaii, with Sanford Dole as its first president.