1789–1869

Introduction

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Born: Oc­to­ber 30, 1789, Ben­ning­ton, Ver­mont.

Died: No­vem­ber 11, 1869, Ben­ning­ton, Ver­mont.

Buried: Grove Street Ce­me­te­ry, New Ha­ven, Co­nn­ec­ti­cut.

Pseudonym: Bi­na­mu.

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Biography

Hiram was the son of Cal­vin Bing­ham and Ly­dia Den­ton. He mar­ried twice: to Sy­bil Mose­ley and Na­omi Em­ma Morse.

He at­tend­ed Mid­dlebu­ry Col­lege and An­do­ver Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry.

The Am­eri­can Board of Com­mis­sion­ers for For­eign Mis­sions made him a mem­ber of the first Am­eri­can mis­sion to Ha­wa­ii, ar­riv­ing there in 1820.

Spending al­most 20 years in mis­sion work, he helped de­vise the Ha­wai­ian al­pha­bet, trans­lat­ed the Bi­ble in­to Ha­wai­ian, and orig­in­at­ed Ha­wa­ii’s first news­pap­er and print­ed cur­ren­cy.

He served as pas­tor of the first church, Ka­wai­ahao, in Ho­no­lu­lu, and was un­po­pu­lar among sail­ors and whal­ing ship cap­tains whose un­god­ly ways he con­demned.

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