Edmund P. (Edmund Pearson) Dole

Born in Maine in 1850, Edmund Pearson Dole studied at Wesleyan University and later settled in Hawaiʻi, where he became a lawyer and public official. He served as the first Attorney General of the Territory of Hawaii, a role that placed him at the center of the islands' political and legal life during a period of major change.

Alongside his legal career, he wrote fiction, including Hiwa: A Tale of Ancient Hawaii and other novels. His books are especially remembered for their interest in Hawaiian settings and history, giving readers adventurous stories rooted in the culture and past of the islands.

That mix of public service and storytelling makes his work unusual and appealing: he was not only writing about Hawaiʻi from afar, but drawing on years of direct experience there. For listeners who enjoy historical fiction with a strong sense of place, his writing offers a window into an older literary vision of Hawaiʻi.