Eric Alfred Knudsen
A Kauai native who preserved the disappearing stories and Hawaiian legends of his homeland while serving as a territorial legislator.
1872–1957 (age 85)·American writer and politician·Birthday: July 29·The Gilded Age
Biography
Eric Alfred Knudsen was a man rooted deeply in the soil and stories of Kauai. The son of a Norwegian sugar planter, he grew up immersed in both the Hawaiian language and the frontier culture of the island's west side. He channeled this unique upbringing into a dual life of public service and cultural preservation. As a lawyer and politician in the Territory of Hawaii, he served multiple terms in the legislature, advocating for local interests. But his lasting work was as a folklorist. Knudsen spent decades meticulously collecting moʻolelo (stories), chants, and place names from Hawaiian elders, capturing a vanishing oral tradition in print. His writings, including the collection 'Hawaiian Folk Tales', became vital resources for understanding pre-20th century Kauai life.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Eric was born in 1872, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1872
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1872Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1877Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1885Became a teenager
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1888Could drive
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Could vote
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1893Turned 21
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1902Turned 30
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Turned 40
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1922Turned 50
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 60
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 70
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 80
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Died at 85
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Key Achievements
- Authored 'Hawaiian Folk Tales', a significant collection of legends and stories primarily from the island of Kauai.
- Served as a member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives and later the Territorial Senate.
- Documented numerous Hawaiian place names and historical accounts that might otherwise have been lost.
Did You Know?
He was fluent in the Hawaiian language from childhood.
His father, Valdemar Knudsen, was a prominent sugar planter who founded the settlement of Kekaha, Kauai.
He practiced law in Waimea, Kauai, for many years.
Some of his folklore collections were published posthumously by his daughter.
“The old stories of Kauai are not just tales; they are the land speaking.”
