William N. (William Nevins) Armstrong

Born in Hawaiʻi in 1835, he grew up in a family tied to the islands’ missionary community and was educated in the United States before returning to public life connected with the Hawaiian Kingdom. He became a close associate of King Kalākaua and served in government, including as Attorney General of Hawaii.

As an author, he is most widely known for Around the World with a King, a firsthand narrative of Kalākaua’s celebrated world tour in 1881. The book stands out because it combines travel writing, court politics, and personal observation from someone who moved within the king’s inner circle.

That background gives his writing unusual immediacy: it is not just a travel record, but a window into the ambitions, diplomacy, and public image of the Hawaiian Kingdom in a period of major change. For listeners interested in history, empire, and the Pacific world, his work carries both storytelling energy and strong historical value.