Albert Sydney Willis

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Albert Sydney Willis was Minister to Hawai‘i in the administration of President of the United States Grover Cleveland. Originally a politician from Kentucky, Willis was sent to Hawai‘i on a secret mission to meet with Queen Lili‘uokalani and obtain a promise of amnesty for those involved in the overthrow of the monarchy if Cleveland restored her to the throne. Originally unsuccessful in securing such a promise in November of 1893, when the queen changed her mind on December 18, 1893, Willis demanded on behalf of Cleveland to dissolve the Provisional Government of Hawai‘i. Willis' mission was deemed a failure when Sanford B. Dole sent a written reply declining the surrender of his authority to the deposed queen. President Cleveland then referred the matter to Congress, which commissioned the Morgan Report, which exonerated the U.S. minister and peacekeepers from taking any part in the Hawaiian Revolution. Following the Morgan Report, Cleveland reversed his stance, rebuffed the queen's further pleas for interference, and maintained normal diplomatic relations with both the Provisional Government and the Republic of Hawaii.