Emma Louise Smith Dillingham

Born in Honolulu in 1844, she was educated at the Royal School and Punahou School, growing up in a family closely tied to the early history of Hawaiʻi. She later became known as a poet, educator, and civic leader, and married businessman Benjamin Franklin Dillingham.

Her writing is remembered especially for works connected to Hawaiʻi, including Diamond Head and her contribution to Six Prize Hawaiian Stories of the Kilohana Art League. She also left behind a childhood journal, written in 1850–51, which gives a rare glimpse of life in Honolulu from a young girl's point of view.

Beyond her writing, she played an important public role in Honolulu society. She was one of the founders of the Daughters of Hawaiʻi and is also noted for helping establish the Young Women's Christian Association branch on Oʻahu. She died in 1920, leaving a legacy that joins literature, education, and civic life in Hawaiʻi.