Statewide County HI Archives Biographies.....Mott-Smith, John 1824 - August 10, 1895
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
J. Orr orr@hawaii.com October 7, 2009, 2:04 pm

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

DR. JOHN MOTT-SMITH, Statesman of Hawaii. An influential editor, member of 
King Kalakaua’s cabinet and minister plenipotentiary of Hawaii to Washington, 
D.C., Dr. John Mott-Smith, a pioneer dentist of Honolulu, was a prominent and 
picturesque figure in the romantic days of the Hawaiian monarchy.
  Intimate friend of both King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani, Dr. Mott-Smith 
was an ardent champion of the monarchy and gave freely of his services to the 
kingdom. Coming to Hawaii in 1851 to establish himself in his profession, Dr. 
Mott-Smith opened an office at the corner of Fort and Hotel streets. For many 
years he did virtually all the dental work in Honolulu.
  Through his interest in politics, Dr. Mott-Smith accepted the editorship of 
the Hawaiian Gazette when it began publication in 1866, during the reign of 
Kamehameha V, to defend the constitution promulgated by that monarch. Three 
years later Dr. Mott-Smith was appointed Minister of Finance, which office he 
held until 1872. In 1876 King Kalakaua appointed him Minister of the Interior, 
a position he occupied for almost two years.
  Dr. Mott-Smith also served Hawaii at Washington, D.C. During this period the 
kingdom was represented in Washington by its minister, Elisha H. Allen, but 
Dr. Mott-Smith was sent there also and remained in a semi-official capacity 
for several years, advancing the cause of the monarchy in many ways.
  Returning to Honolulu in 1891, Dr. Mott-Smith was given the portfolio of 
Minister of Finance by Queen Liliuokalani, and upon the death of H. A. P. 
Carter he became Minister Plenipotentiary to Washington, a post he held with 
distinction until succeeded in 1893 by L. A. Thurston.
  Dr. Mott-Smith was born in New York in 1824, the son of John Mott-Smith. His 
early education was obtained in the public schools of New York, and he studied 
dentistry by himself, using the text books of a friend who was then attending 
dental college. After passing the state dental examinations, he located in 
Albany, New York, and practiced for three years. In 1849, when news of the 
gold discovery reached the East, he was one of the first to depart for 
California where he spent two years before sailing for Hawaii late in 1850.
  In 1859, Dr. Mott-Smith married Ellen Dominis Paty, daughter of an old and 
prominent Honolulu family. They had seven children, Martha Paty, Myra Harris, 
Ida Campbell, Harold Meade, Ernest Augustus, Morton and May Henderson Mott-
Smith. Dr. Mott-Smith died on Aug. 10, 1895.


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