Statewide County HI Archives Biographies.....Atkinson, Alatau Tamchiboulac November 1848 - April 24, 1906
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
J. Orr orr@hawaii.com August 26, 2009, 3:10 pm

Source: The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Published by Honolulu Star Bulletin, Ltd., Territory of Hawaii, 1925.
Author: Edited by George F. Nellist

ALATAU TAMCHIBOULAC ATKINSON, Publicist and Educator. A name prominent in the 
history of Hawaii during the later decades of the Nineteenth century is that 
of Alatau T. Atkinson educator, editor, public official and writer of note. 
His death on April 24, 1906, removed from community life one of the most 
brilliant and widely loved men of his period.
  Alatau Atkinson’s career in Hawaii was devoted to constructive community 
service. Occupying a position of influence, first as an educator and then as 
an editor, his strong personality left a marked impression on the cultural 
life of Hawaii.
  There is a touch of romance in the chronicle of Mr. Atkinson’s career. The 
son of Thomas Witlam and Lucy Finlay Atkinson, Mr. Atkinson was born on the 
Kirgiz steppes, Siberia, in Nov. 1848, where his mother had accompanied her 
husband on an exploration trip from England. Their son was named Alatau from 
the mountains of the region and his second name, Tamchiboulac, was the name of 
a spring at the base of the Alatau mountains.
  Mr. Atkinson received his education at Rugby School, England, and before 
coming to Hawaii was a master at Durham College. He married Annie Elizabeth 
Humble at Newcastle, England.
  Coming to Hawaii in 1868, Mr. Atkinson took charge of St Alban’s College 
under Bishop Staley, later becoming principal of the famous old Fort Street 
School, and scores of prominent men of Hawaii today acknowledge their heavy 
debt to the distinguished educator with whom they spent their formative years. 
  When, in 1881, Mr. Atkinson became editor of the Hawaiian Gazette, public 
opinion on politics and affairs of the time was shaped to a large extent by 
Mr. Atkinson’s own convictions, as expressed through the columns of his paper, 
and his readers received the benefit of his far reaching knowledge of life and 
events.
  Becoming inspector general of public schools in 1887, Mr. Atkinson continued 
until the year before his death to form the educational policies, first of the 
Hawaiian monarchy and later of the Territory. A great part of his life was 
given to the organization of the present public school system in Hawaii.
  When Hawaii was annexed by the United States, Mr. Atkinson was entrusted 
with the work of taking a census of the islands, the first official accounting 
of island population. He also served as a member of the House of 
Representatives in 1898.
  Aside from his educational and editorial work, Mr. Atkinson gained favorable 
attention as a poet, contributing verse to numerous publications, and he was 
the author of notable papers on subjects pertaining to education.
  At the time of his death, Mr. Atkinson was survived by seven children, A. L. 
C. Atkinson, Robert W., Kenneth Atkinson, Mrs. T. K. C. Gibbons, Mrs. A. M. 
Brown (deceased), Mrs. Samuel G. Wilder and Mrs. R. C. L. Perkins.


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