Theophilus Harris Davies

Theophilus Harris Davies

Theophilus Harris Davies (4 January 1834 – 25 May 1898) was a British businessman.

Kaiulani in Boston with Mr. Davies

Life

Davies was born 4 January 1834, in Stourbridge, Staffordshire, England, the son of a Welsh minister and his English wife.[1] He was recruited in England to join the firm of Janion, Green & Co. in Hawaii, a successor to Starkey, Janion & Co., formed in 1845. Partners were Robert Cheshire Janion and William Lowthian Green.

Davies arrived in 1857 but returned to England in 1862, where he stayed until 1867. He then returned to Honolulu, to bail out Janion. By January, 1868, Davies controlled the business and it was being operated as Theo. H. Davies and Company.[2]

Under the laws of the Provisional Government, it became Theo H. Davies & Co., Limited, in January, 1894. It grew to become one of Hawaii's "Big Five" sugar firms. He acted as a guardian of Princess Kaʻiulani while she travelled to Europe and the United States. Davies died on 25 May 1898.[3]

In the 2009 film Princess Kaiulani, he was portrayed by Julian Glover. His son Theophilus Clive Davies was played by Shaun Evans, and daughter Alice by Tamzin Merchant.[4]

References

  1. Edward Clowes Chorley (1950). Historical magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church. US Church Historical Society. p. 231.
  2. Erika Engle (October 19, 2003). "Rumored sales of Theo Davies' businesses may signal its end". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  3. Ralph S. Kuykendall (1967). Hawaiian Kingdom 1874-1893: the Kalakaua Dynasty. University of Hawaii Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-87022-433-1.
  4. Princess Kaiulani at the Internet Movie Database

Further reading

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