The sugar barons who toppled a kingdom still haunt this Honolulu landmark

C. Brewer’s Big Five Sugar Oligarchy Collapse

Hawaii’s “Big Five” companies ran the islands like a private club for over 60 years. Soon they owned almost everything – sugar plantations, banks, shipping, and utilities.

It all started when C.Brewer & Co. , founded in 1826, joined forces with four other firms after the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Their executives sat on each other’s boards, fixed prices, and backed Republican politicians who kept their power intact.

Yet by the 1950s, their grip broke when war veterans organized labor strikes and Democrats won control.

The historic C.Brewer Building still stands today, its sugar-themed ironwork telling the story of an empire that once ruled paradise.

Five Trading Companies Set Up Shop in Hawaiian Islands

James Hunnewell started C. Brewer & Co.in 1826 to supply whaling ships and trade sandalwood. English merchants opened Theo H.Davies & Co. in 1845 as a small trading business.

German immigrant Heinrich Hackfeld started H. Hackfeld & Co. in 1849. Missionary agents Samuel Castle and Amos Cooke founded Castle & Cooke in 1851.

Samuel Alexander and Henry Baldwin, both sons of medical missionaries, created Alexander & Baldwin in 1870 after spotting business chances in the islands.

Sugar Boom Exploded After the 1875 Trade Deal

The 1875 Reciprocity Treaty knocked down U.S. tariffs on Hawaiian sugar, opening a huge market for local growers.

Small plantations couldn’t keep up, dropping from 79 in 1875 to just 20 by 1883.

The five companies changed from simple traders to powerful money lenders who gave credit and equipment to the remaining plantations.

By 1889, these companies controlled 56% of Hawaii’s sugar crops. Sugar growers needed more money to grow, forcing them to depend on the Big Five for loans.

Business Leaders Helped Kick Out the Queen

Children of Big Five partners joined the 1893 Committee of Safety that knocked Queen Liliuokalani off her throne.

Newspaper man Lorrin Thurston organized the committee with help from U.S. Minister John Stevens. Sugar planters and businessmen took over on January 17, 1893, backed by U.S. Marines who came ashore.

When President Cleveland told them to give the kingdom back, the new government led by Sanford Dole refused and set up the Republic of Hawaii in 1894.

The Big Five Grabbed Control of Everything

These companies soon owned most sugar and pineapple plantations, plus utilities, transportation companies, construction firms, insurance agencies, and banks.

The U.S. government picked territorial governors while the Republican Party ran things, making sure government rules helped Big Five interests.

The companies created a web of shared ownership and deals, controlling land, water, and forests across the islands.

Company Bosses Sat on Each Other’s Boards

H. Hackfeld & Co.turned into American Factors after the U.S. government took German assets during World War I.

The companies bought controlling stakes in each other’s businesses. By the 1920s, executives from one company sat on the boards of others.

Four of the Big Five jointly owned Matson Navigation Company, which controlled 80% of cargo shipping to and from the islands.

This cross-ownership let them fix prices across all parts of Hawaii’s economy.

Workers From Around the World Filled the Fields

The Big Five brought in workers from the Philippines, Japan, China, Portugal, and Korea to work their fields. They kept different ethnic groups in separate camps to stop them from joining forces.

When workers from one ethnic group went on strike, bosses used workers from other camps to break the strike.

The second generation of these workers, born in Hawaii, became U.S. citizens with voting rights. These workers grew tired of poor treatment and started to speak up.

Labor Unions Started Fighting Back in the 1930s

Hilo Longshoremen led by Jack Kawano began organizing strikes in the 1930s, bringing together workers from different backgrounds.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) signed up both dock workers and plantation laborers. The 1946 Great Hawaii Sugar Strike targeted the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association and Big Five companies.

Workers wanted the same wages as mainland workers and shut down sugar operations. Failed strikes taught labor leaders they needed political power to win.

War Veterans Refused to Accept Second-Class Status

World War II changed everything when Asian American veterans came home. They used the GI Bill to get educated and refused to be treated as second-class citizens.

Police officer John Burns got veterans like Daniel Inouye to join the Democratic Party and run for office.

Japanese American veterans made up 45% of Hawaii’s population and suffered 60% of the territory’s war casualties.

Burns built a team of plantation workers, veterans, and minorities to challenge the white business leaders.

Democrats Smashed Republican Control in 1954

The 1954 territorial election turned Hawaii upside down when Democrats won majorities in both the house and senate for the first time.

Japanese American veterans including Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga won seats. This victory ended 60 years of Republican rule tied to Big Five control.

Labor strikes put more pressure on the sugar industry while political power shifted to the Democratic team.

The Big Five’s political grip broke through organized voting.

Military Spending and Tourism Replaced Sugar’s Importance

World War II changed Hawaii’s economy as military dollars and tourism started to matter more than sugar.

In 1964, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit challenging the Big Five’s joint ownership of Matson Navigation Company.

The settlement forced the companies to stop sharing officers and directors. Alexander & Baldwin bought out the other companies’ Matson shares for $22 million.

The Sugar Empire Crumbled in the 1970s

Sugar plantations closed their gates across Hawaii in the 1970s as the industry lost money. Theo H.Davies & Co. sold out to Hong Kong company Jardine Matheson in 1973.

C. Brewer got bought by IU International Corporation in 1978 and eventually shut down completely between 2001 and 2006. Castle & Cooke merged with Flexi-Van Corporation in 1985 under David Murdock’s ownership.

By 1989, the Hawaii Department of Business officially declared sugar dead as an economic driver, ending the era that had shaped the islands for more than a century.

Visiting C. Brewer Building, Hawaii

The C. Brewer Building at 827 Fort Street Mall now houses the Hawaii Community Foundation headquarters.

You can view the building’s exterior as part of self-guided walking tours exploring Hawaii’s Big Five sugar empire history.

Join AIA Honolulu’s downtown architectural walking tours for $25 per person, or grab a self-guided tour booklet from their center at 828 Fort Street Mall.

The building earned National Register of Historic Places status in 1980.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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