View source for Duke Kahanamoku

{{short description|Hawaiian surfer and actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox surfer
| name           = Duke Kahanamoku
| image          = Anonymous photograph of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku with his surfboard.JPG
| alt            =
| caption        = Duke Kahanamoku c. 1912
| full_name      = Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku
| collegeteam    =
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1890|8|24|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Haleʻākala]], [[Honolulu]], [[Kingdom of Hawaii]]
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|1968|1|22|1890|8|24|mf=y}}
| death_place    = [[Honolulu, Hawaii]], U.S.<ref name=Murphy>{{cite book |last1=Murphy, Kelly with Hallie Fryd |title=Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timeless Crushes-From Cleopatra to Camus |date=2013 |publisher=Zest Books |location=USA |page=109 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djHTs6i9NnEC |isbn=9781936976102}}</ref>
| height         = 6 ft 1 in<ref name=Murphy/><ref name="Men's Journal">{{cite web |last1=See |first1=Jen |title=5 Things You Didn't Know About Duke Kahanamoku |url=http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/watersports/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-duke-kahanamoku-20150824 |website=MensJournal.com |publisher=Men's Journal |access-date=August 25, 2015 |date=August 24, 2015 |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911174608/http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/watersports/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-duke-kahanamoku-20150824 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| weight         = 190 lb<ref name=Murphy/>
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | the {{flag|United States}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Surfing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold | [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Stockholm]] | [[Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp]] | [[Swimming at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1920 Antwerp | [[Swimming at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalSilver | 1912 Stockholm | [[Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]] | [[Swimming at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]]}}
}}
[[File:Duke Kahanamoku signature.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Signature]]

'''Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku''' (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer, lifeguard, and popularizer of the sport of [[surfing]]. A [[Native Hawaiian]], he was born three years before the [[overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom]]. He lived to see the territory's admission as [[Hawaii Admission Act|a state]] and became a United States citizen. He was a five-time Olympic medalist in [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|swimming]], winning medals in [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912]], [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]] and [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51429 |title=Duke Kahanamoku |work=Olympedia |access-date=7 June 2021 |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604132127/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51429 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kahanamoku joined fraternal organizations: he was a [[Scottish Rite Freemasonry|Scottish Rite Freemason]] in the Honolulu lodge,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.honoluluscottishritebodies.org/our-history/ |title=History of the Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge in Honolulu |website=honoluluscottishritebodies.org |access-date=September 30, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180930171025/http://www.honoluluscottishritebodies.org/our-history/ |archive-date=September 30, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> and a [[Shriners|Shriner]]. He worked as a [[Law enforcement in the United States|law enforcement]] officer, an actor, a beach volleyball player, and a businessman.<ref name="Hall">{{cite book |title=Duke: A Great Hawaiian |last=Hall |first=Sandra Kimberly. |year=2004 |publisher=Bess Press |location=Honolulu, HI |isbn=1-57306-230-8}}</ref>

==Family background==
According to Kahanamoku, he was born in [[Honolulu]] at [[Haleʻākala]], the home of [[Bernice Pauahi Bishop]], which was later converted into the Arlington Hotel.<!-- names of parents? --><ref name="Nendel">{{cite book |title=Duke Kahanamoku: Twentieth Century Hawaiian Nonarch |year=2006 |pages=1–13 |last1=Nendel |first1=James D. |last2=The Pennsylvania State University |publisher=Pennsylvania State University |isbn=0-542-84320-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rSKo0rK3xYsC }}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

He was born into a family of [[Native Hawaiians]] headed by Duke Halapu Kahanamoku and Julia Paʻakonia Lonokahikina Paoa. He had five brothers, and three sisters. His brothers were [[Sargent Kahanamoku|Sargent]], [[Samuel Kahanamoku|Samuel]], David, William and Louis, all of whom participated in competitive aquatic sports. His sisters were Bernice, Kapiolani and Maria.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gee|first=Bill|title=Fabulous Kahanamoku Family|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/268978256/?terms=Kapiolani+Ornellas|accessdate=February 13, 2018|work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin{{Subscription required|via=Newspapers.com}}|date=April 18, 1953|page=20}}</ref>

"Duke" was not a title or a nickname, but a [[given name]]. He was named after his father, Duke Halapu Kahanamoku, who was christened by Bernice Pauahi Bishop in honor of [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh]], who was visiting Hawaii at the time. His father was a policeman. His mother Julia Pa{{okina}}akonia Lonokahikina Paoa was a deeply religious woman with a strong sense of family ancestry.

His parents were from prominent Hawaiian ''[[ohana]]'' (families). The Kahanamoku and the Paoa ohana were considered to be lower-ranking nobles, who were in service to the ''[[aliʻi]] nui'', or royalty.<ref name="Nendel"/> His paternal grandfather was Kahanamoku and his grandmother, Kapiolani Kaoeha (sometimes spelled ''Kahoea''), a descendant of [[Alapainui]]. They were ''kahu'', retainers and trusted advisors of the Kamehamehas, to whom they were related. His maternal grandparents Paoa, son of Paoa Hoolae and Hiikaalani, and Mele Uliama, were also of aliʻi descent.<ref name="Hall"/>{{rp|9}}<ref name="Brennan1968">{{cite book |last=Brennan |first=Joe |title=Duke of Hawaii |url=https://books.google.com/books?id%3DBfTR8QtYHj8C |year=1968 |pages=74–76}}</ref>

In 1893, his family moved to [[Kālia]], Waikiki (near the present site of [[Hilton Hawaiian Village]]), to be closer to his mother's parents and family. Kahanamoku grew up with his siblings and 31 Paoa cousins.<ref name="Hall"/>{{rp|17}} He attended the Waikiki Grammar School, Kaahumanu School, and the [[Kamehameha Schools]], although he never graduated because he had to quit to help support the family.<ref name="Gardiner">{{cite web |url=http://www.calodges.org/ncrl/duke-k.html |title=Duke Kahanamoku Paoa |author=Herbert G. Gardiner, PGS, Grand Historian |access-date=March 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928063018/http://www.calodges.org/ncrl/duke-k.html |archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref>

==Early years==

Growing up on the outskirts of Waikiki, Kahanamoku spent much of his youth at the beach, where he developed his surfing and swimming skills. In his youth, Kahanamoku preferred a traditional surf board, which he called his ''"papa nui"'', constructed after the fashion of ancient Hawaiian [[olo board]]s. Made from the wood of a [[koa]] tree, it was {{convert|16|ft|m}} long and weighed {{convert|114|lb|kg}}. The board was without a [[Skeg#Surfing|skeg]], which had yet to be invented. In his later surfing career, he would often use smaller boards but always preferred those made of wood.

Kahanamoku was a powerful swimmer. On August 11, 1911, he was timed at 55.4 seconds in the {{convert|100|yd|m}} [[freestyle swimming|freestyle]], beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor. He broke the record in the {{convert|220|yd|m|abbr=on}} and equaled it in the {{convert|50|yd|m|abbr=on}}. But the [[Amateur Athletic Union]] (AAU), in disbelief, would not recognize these feats until many years later. The AAU initially claimed that the judges must have been using alarm clocks rather than stopwatches and later claimed that ocean currents aided Kahanamoku.<ref>[http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC "Duke Kahanamoku", in ''Notable Asian Americans''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525223620/https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fstart.do%3Fp%3DBIC&u=&prodId=BIC |date=May 25, 2020 }} Gale Research, 1995. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Duke Kahanamoku 1920.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Duke Kahanamoku with his solid redwood surfboard, in [[Corona Del Mar, California]] in 1921]]

Kahanamoku easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1912. At the [[1912 Summer Olympics]] in Stockholm, he won a gold medal in the [[Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100-meter freestyle]], and a silver medal with the second-place U.S. team in the [[Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay]].

During the [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Olympics]] in Antwerp, Kahanamoku won gold medals in both the 100 meters (bettering fellow Hawaiian [[Pua Kealoha]]) and in the relay. He finished the 100 meters with a silver medal during the [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Olympics]] in Paris, with the gold going to [[Johnny Weissmuller]] and the bronze to Kahanamoku's brother, [[Samuel Kahanamoku|Samuel]]. By then age 34, Kahanamoku won no more Olympic medals.<ref name=Murphy/> But he served as an alternate for the U.S. [[water polo]] team at the [[1932 Summer Olympics]].

=== Post-Olympic career ===

Between Olympic competitions, and after retiring from the Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled internationally to give swimming exhibitions. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii, by incorporating surfing exhibitions into his touring exhibitions as well. He attracted people to surfing in mainland America first in 1912 while in [[Southern California]]. He trained and loaned equipment to new surfers, such as [[Dorothy Becker]].

His surfing exhibition at [[Sydney, Australia]]'s [[Freshwater Beach]] on December 24, 1914, is widely regarded as a seminal event in the development of surfing in Australia.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Osmond, Gary. |year=2010 |title='Honolulu Māori': Racial Dimensions of Duke Kahanamoku's Tour of Australia and New Zealand |journal=New Zealand Journal of History |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=22–34}}</ref> The board that Kahanamoku built from a piece of pine from a local hardware store is retained by the [[Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club]]. A statue of Kahanamoku was erected in his honor on the Northern headland of Freshwater Lake, [[New South Wales]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/foreigners/display/21512-duke-kahanamoku|title=Duke Kahanamoku {{!}} Monument Australia|last=Design|first=UBC Web|website=monumentaustralia.org.au|language=en|access-date=October 3, 2017|archive-date=October 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003174803/http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/foreigners/display/21512-duke-kahanamoku|url-status=live}}</ref>

During his time living in Southern California, Kahanamoku performed in Hollywood as a background actor and a character actor in several films. He made connections in this way with people who could further publicize the sport of surfing. Kahanamoku was involved with the [[Los Angeles Athletic Club]], acting as a lifeguard and competing in both swimming and water polo teams.

While living in [[Newport Beach, California]], on June 14, 1925, Kahanamoku rescued eight men from a fishing vessel that capsized in heavy surf while it was attempting to enter the city's harbor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kahanamoku Helps Save 13 in Launch. Hawaiian Swimmer and Others Go to Their Rescue With Surf Boards. Five Are Drowned |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/06/16/archives/kahanamoku-helps-save-13-in-launch-hawaiian-swimmer-and-others-go.html |quote=... swimming star, Duke Kahanamoku and his fellow surf-board experts, where the ... of the beach here, credited with saving the lives of thirteen persons. ... |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 16, 1925 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722213907/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/06/16/archives/kahanamoku-helps-save-13-in-launch-hawaiian-swimmer-and-others-go.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Using his surfboard, Kahanamoku made repeated trips from shore to the capsized ship, and helped rescue several people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hawaiianswimboat.com/duke6.html |title=Biography: Corona Del Mar Save |access-date=November 21, 2008 |author=Gault-Williams, Malcolm |work=Legendary Surfers |publisher=Hawaiianswimboat.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207184520/http://www.hawaiianswimboat.com/duke6.html |archive-date=February 7, 2009}}</ref> Two other surfers saved four more fishermen, while five succumbed to the seas before they could be rescued. At the time the Newport Beach police chief called Kahanamoku's efforts "The most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen." The widespread publicity surrounding the rescue influenced lifeguards across the US to begin the use of surfboards as standard equipment for water rescues.<ref name="Men's Journal"/>

Kahanamoku was the first person to be inducted into both the [[Swimming Hall of Fame]] and the [[Surfing Hall of Fame]]. The [[Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship]]s in Hawaii, the first major professional surfing contest event ever held in the huge surf on the North Shore of Oahu, was named in his honor. He is a member of the [[United States Olympic Hall of Fame|U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame]].

Later Kahanamoku was elected to serve as the Sheriff of [[Honolulu, Hawaii]] from 1935<ref>[https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-duke-kahanamoku Duke Kahanamoku: Topics in Chronicling America]; [https://nupepa-hawaii.com/2015/08/07/duke-runs-for-reelection-as-sheriff-of-the-city-and-county-of-honolulu-1936/ Duke runs for reelection as sheriff of the city and county of Honolulu, 1936]</ref> to 1961, completing 13 consecutive terms. During World War II, he served as a [[military police]] officer for the United States; Hawai'i was not yet a state and was administered.

In the postwar period, Kahanamoku appeared in a number of television programs and films, including ''[[Mister Roberts (1955 film)|Mister Roberts]]'' (1955). He was well-liked throughout the Hollywood community.

Kahanamoku became a friend and surfing companion of heiress [[Doris Duke]]. She built a home (now a museum) on [[Oahu]] named [[Shangri La (Doris Duke)|Shangri-la]]. Kahanamoku gave private surfing lessons to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr.]] and [[John Aspinwall Roosevelt]], the children of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=51-115-231 (2) {{!}} Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum |url=http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/collections/franklin/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=4090 |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=FDR Library |language=en |archive-date=September 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929171146/http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/collections/franklin/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=4090 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== ''Duncan v. Kahanamoku'' ==
{{Further|Duncan v. Kahanamoku}}
In 1946, Kahanamoku was the ''[[pro forma]]'' defendant in the landmark [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] case ''[[Duncan v. Kahanamoku]]''. While Kahanamoku was a [[military police]] officer during [[World War II]], he arrested Duncan, a civilian [[shipfitter]], for public intoxication.

At the time, Hawaii, not yet a state, was being administered by the United States under the [[Hawaiian Organic Act]]. This effectively instituted [[martial law]] on the island. After Duncan was tried by a military tribunal, he appealed to the Supreme Court. In a ''post hoc'' ruling, the court ruled that trial by military tribunal for the civilian was, in this case, [[unconstitutional]].<ref>''[https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/327/304/case.html Duncan v. Kahanamoku] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622060601/https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/327/304/case.html |date=June 22, 2018 }}'', 327 U.S. 304 (1946).</ref>

==Personal life==

On August 2, 1940, Kahanamoku married dance instructor Nadine Alexander, who had relocated to Hawaii from [[Cleveland]], Ohio, after she had been hired to teach at the [[Royal Hawaiian Hotel]]. Duke was 50 years old, Nadine was 35.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Luis |first1=Cindy |last2=Bigold |first2=Pat |title=Nadine Kahanamoku 'very special person' |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/07/18/news/story3.html |accessdate=May 11, 2022 |work=Honolulu Star Bulletin |archive-date=January 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129014153/http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/07/18/news/story3.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

He was initiated, passed and raised to the degree of Master Mason in Hawaiian Lodge [[Masonic Lodge]] No 21<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lubbockmasoniclodge.org/about-2/who-are-freemasons |title=Athletes and other sport figures notable masons |language=en |access-date=September 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714123058/http://lubbockmasoniclodge.org/about-2/who-are-freemasons |archive-date=July 14, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pinallodge30.com/famousmasons.aspx |title=Famous Masons |access-date=September 30, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224182230/http://www.pinallodge30.com/famousmasons.aspx |archive-date=December 24, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navesinklodge9.org/famous.htm |title=Athletes and Other Sports Figures in Freemasonry |language=en |access-date=September 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929214429/http://www.navesinklodge9.org/famous.htm |archive-date=September 29, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and was also a Noble (member) of the [[Shriners]] fraternal organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encyclopediaofsurfing.com/entries/kahanamoku-duke |title=Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola (1890 – 1968) |language=en |access-date=September 30, 2018 |quotation=Duke was a member of Hawaii Lodge #22, The Scottish Rite and the Shriners. |website=St. John's Lodge No 2, New Castle Delaware |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180930173818/http://www.stjohns-no2-de.com/trestle/2015/apr/trestleboard_pg3.html |archive-date=September 30, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> He was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/sports/duke-kahanamoku-hawaiis-best-known-citizen-is-back-in-the-spotlight.html |title=Duke Kahanamoku, Legendary Surfer and Swimmer, Gets Google Tribute |work=The New York Times |date=August 24, 2015 |language=en |access-date=August 24, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827022314/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/sports/duke-kahanamoku-hawaiis-best-known-citizen-is-back-in-the-spotlight.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Death and legacy ==

Kahanamoku died of a heart attack on January 22, 1968, at age 77.<ref>{{cite news |title=Duke Kahanamoku Dies at 77. Leading Swimmer of His Time. Olympic Swimming Champion of '12 and '20 in Freestyle. Best-Known Hawaiian |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/01/23/archives/duke-kahanamoku-dies-at-77-leading-swimmer-of-his-time-olympic.html |quote=Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimming star, whose international sports career spanned 20 years and who became Hawaii's best-known citizen, died today at ... |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 23, 1968 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622111502/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/01/23/archives/duke-kahanamoku-dies-at-77-leading-swimmer-of-his-time-olympic.html |url-status=live }}</ref> For his [[burial at sea]], a long motorcade of mourners, accompanied by a 30-man police escort, traveled in procession across town to [[Waikiki|Waikiki Beach]]. Reverend [[Abraham Akaka]], the pastor of [[Kawaiahao Church]], performed the service. A group of beach boys sang Hawaiian songs, including "[[Aloha Oe]]", and Kahanamoku's ashes were scattered into the ocean.

=== Statues and monuments ===
[[File:Participants in Waikiki, Hawaii Halloween 2021 07.jpg|thumb|Statue of Duke in Waikiki with people celebrating Halloween in 2021]]
In 1990, a 9-foot bronze statue of Kahanamoku was unveiled in Waikiki, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The statue is not facing the nearby ocean shore, but is facing the street, to welcome tourists and locals, in the spirit of [[Aloha]].<ref name="x339">{{cite web | title=Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (1990) by Jan Gordon Fisher | website=Public Art in Public Places | date=October 14, 2025 | url=https://www.publicartinpublicplaces.info/duke-paoa-kahanamoku-1990-by-jan-gordon-fisher | access-date=October 27, 2025}}</ref><ref name="b415">{{cite web | last=Pinto | first=Luís M. | title=The statue of Duke Kahanamoku | website=Surfertoday | date=September 24, 2019 | url=https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-statue-of-duke-kahanamoku | access-date=October 27, 2025}}</ref> 

In 1994, a statue of Kahanamoku by Barry Donohoo was inaugurated in Freshwater, NSW, Australia. It is the showpiece of the Australian Surfers Walk of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Tribute to Duke |url=https://harborddiggers.com.au/page/about/tribute-to-duke |access-date=August 13, 2020 |website=Harbord Diggers |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812231558/https://harborddiggers.com.au/page/about/tribute-to-duke |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On February 28, 2015, a monument featuring a replica of Kahanamoku's surfboard was unveiled at New Brighton beach, [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]] in honor of the 100th anniversary of Kahanamoku's visit to New Brighton.<ref>[http://www.3news.co.nz/sport/new-brighton-honours-surfing-legend-2015022818#axzz3jiVMOu00 New Brighton Honours Surfing Legend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815150242/http://www.3news.co.nz/sport/new-brighton-honours-surfing-legend-2015022818#axzz3jiVMOu00 |date=August 15, 2015 }} TV3, 2015</ref>

A statue of Kahanamoku was installed in [[Huntington Beach, California]]. A nearby restaurant is named for him and is close to Huntington Beach pier. The City of Huntington Beach identifies with the legacy of surfing, and a museum dedicated to that sport is located here.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://foursquare.com/v/duke-kahanamoku-statue/4b9143a2f964a5203fae33e3 |title=Duke Kahanamoku Statue |access-date=July 7, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185346/https://foursquare.com/v/duke-kahanamoku-statue/4b9143a2f964a5203fae33e3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2022, NSW Heritage announced that Kahanamoku would be included in the first batch of Blue Plaques to be issued, to recognize his contribution to recreation and surfing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Blue Plaques NSW |url=https://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/celebrate/love-your-local-heritage/blue-plaques-nsw/ |website=Heritage NSW |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513025034/https://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/celebrate/love-your-local-heritage/blue-plaques-nsw/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A sculpture of Kahanamoku flanked by a male knee paddler and a female prone paddler commemorating the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race was installed on the [[Manhattan Beach Pier]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cole |first=Mark |date=2023-08-31 |title=Catalina Classic statue dedicated |url=https://easyreadernews.com/catalina-classic-statue-dedicated/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |work=Easy Reader News |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Additional tributes ===
Hawaii music promoter [[Kimo Wilder McVay]] capitalized on Kahanamoku's popularity by naming his Waikiki showroom "Duke Kahanamoku's" at the [[International Market Place]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.honolulumagazine.com//Honolulu-Magazine/December-2013/The-Rise-Fall-and-Rebirth-of-Waikikis-International-Marketplace/index.php?cparticle=3&siarticle=2#artanc |title={{!}}website=honolulumagazine.com {{!}}access-date=March 17, 2019 |access-date=July 22, 2021 |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908063403/http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/December-2013/The-Rise-Fall-and-Rebirth-of-Waikikis-International-Marketplace/index.php?cparticle=3&siarticle=2#artanc |url-status=dead }}</ref> and giving Kahanamoku a financial interest in the showroom in exchange for the use of his name. It was a major Waikiki showroom in the 1960s and is remembered as the home of [[Don Ho]] & The Aliis from 1964 through 1969. The showroom continued to be known as Duke Kahanamoku's until Hawaii showman Jack Cione bought it in the mid-1970s and renamed it Le Boom Boom.

The Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex (DKAC) serves as the home for the [[Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine|University of Hawai‘i's]] swimming and diving and women's water polo teams. The facility, located on the university's lower campus, includes a 50-meter training pool and a separate 25-yard competition and diving pool. The long course pool is four feet at both ends, seven feet in the middle, and an average depth of six feet.

Kahanamoku's name is also used by Duke's Canoe Club & Barefoot Bar, {{as of|2016|lc=y}} known as Duke's Waikiki, a beachfront bar and restaurant in the [[Outrigger Hotels & Resorts|Outrigger]] Waikiki on the Beach Hotel. There is a chain of restaurants named after him in California, Florida and Hawaii called Duke's.

On August 24, 2002, the 112th anniversary of Kahanamoku's birth, the [[U.S. Postal Service]] issued a first-class [[commemorative stamp]] with Duke's picture on it. The First Day Ceremony was held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and was attended by thousands. At this ceremony, attendees could attach the Duke stamp to an envelope and get it canceled with a First Day of Issue postmark. These [[first day cover]]s are very collectible.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060209204134/http://www.usps.com/news/2002/philatelic/sr02_048.htm Father Of International Surfing To Be Honored On New Postage Stamp]. USPS. July 30, 2002</ref>

On August 24, 2015, a [[Google Doodle]] honored the 125th anniversary of Duke Kahanamoku's birthday.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plucinska |first1=Joanna |title=New Google Doodle Honors Duke Kahanamoku, the Father of Surfing |url=https://time.com/4007604/duke-kahanamoku/ |website=Time Inc. |date=August 24, 2015 |access-date=August 24, 2015}}</ref>

In 2021, a 88-minute feature film was made about Kahanamoku's life.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/01/25/documentary-will-highlight-life-times-legendary-waterman-duke-kahanamoku/| title=Legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku to be subject of new documentary| author=Jim Mendoza| date=Jan 24, 2019| publisher=Hawaii News Now}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13840624/| title=Waterman (2021) 1h 28m| publisher=Internet Movie Data Base| access-date=December 18, 2023| archive-date=June 7, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607035653/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13840624/| url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web| url=https://watermanthemovie.com/| title=WATERMAN, original documentary by Sidewinder Films directed by Isaac Halasima| access-date=December 18, 2023| archive-date=December 18, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218205707/https://watermanthemovie.com/| url-status=live}}</ref>  It was later broadcast by [[PBS]] as part of their [[American Masters]] series.<ref>{{cite news| publisher=Honolulu Star-Advertiser| title=
Duke Kahanamoku biopic to get television time on PBS| date=May 8, 2022}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|1925
| ''[[Adventure (1925 film)|Adventure]]''
| Noah Noa
|
|-
| ''[[The Pony Express (1925 film)|The Pony Express]]''
| Indian Chief
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[No Father to Guide Him (short)|No Father to Guide Him]]''
| The Lifeguard
| Short
|-
| ''[[Lord Jim (1925 film)|Lord Jim]]''
| Tamb Itam
|
|-
| 1926
| ''[[Old Ironsides (film)|Old Ironsides]]''
| Pirate Captain
| Uncredited
|-
|rowspan=2|1927
| ''[[Hula (film)|Hula]]''
| Hawaiian Boy
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Isle of Sunken Gold]]''
| Lono
|
|-
| 1928
| ''[[Woman Wise]]''
| Guard
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1929
| ''[[The Rescue (1929 film)|The Rescue]]''
| Jaffir
|
|-
| ''[[Where East Is East]]''
| Wild Animal Trapper
| Uncredited
|-
|rowspan=2|1930
| ''[[Girl of the Port]]''
| Kalita
|
|-
| ''[[Isle of Escape]]''
| Manua
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1931
| ''[[Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks (documentary)|Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| ''[[The Black Camel (film)|The Black Camel]]''
| bit part as surf instructor
| at 0:01:36
|-
| 1948
| ''[[Wake of the Red Witch]]''
| Ua Nuke
|
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Mister Roberts (1955 film)|Mister Roberts]]''
| Native Chief
| (as Duke Kahanamoko)
|-
| 1959
| ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Duke Kahanamoku"
|-
|rowspan=2|1967
| ''[[Free and Easy (documentary)|Free and Easy]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| ''[[Surfari (documentary)|Surfari]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
|colspan=5| Source:<ref>{{IMDb name|0434687}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Olympics}}
* [[Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Lagoon]]
* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[World record progression 100 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Kahanamoku, Duke. "Do's and Don't's." ''[[Photoplay]]'', September 1925. Tie-in to ''[[Adventure (1925 film)|Adventure]]''.
* Paniccia, Patti. [http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/November-2006/Who-Owns-the-Duke/ "Who Owns the Duke?: The battle for the trademark to Duke Kahanamoku’s name has been far less dignified than the man himself."] ''Honolulu Magazine''. November 1, 2006. 
* {{cite book |last=Davis |first=David |title=Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SdICgAAQBAJ |year=2015 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln |isbn=978-0-8032-8514-9 |oclc=906027798}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Duke Kahanamoku}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Duke Kahanamoku |sopt=t}}
* {{webarchive |title=Duke Kahanamoku (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412162520/http://www.ishof.org/duke-kahanamoku-(usa).html |date=April 12, 2015 }}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=duke-kahanamoku|old_id=Duke-Kahanamoku|archive=20230720073211}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|org_archive=20160920203047}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* [http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/kahanamoku_duke.cfm Surfline bio of Duke]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2332829819/ Undated photo of Kahanamoku from the Library of Congress collection]
* {{IMDb name|0434687}}
* {{IMDb name|2354103}}
* {{Discogs artist|Duke Kahanamoku}}
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002p376 Image of Duke Kahanamoku surfing in Los Angeles, California, circa 1920.] [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].

{{Footer USA Swimming 1912 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1920 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1924 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Olympic champions in men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay}}
{{United States men's water polo squad 1920 Summer Olympics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahanamoku, Duke}}
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:American actor-politicians]]
[[Category:American athlete-politicians]]
[[Category:American male freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:American male water polo players]]
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[[Category:Male actors from Hawaii]]
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[[Category:Military personnel from Hawaii]]
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[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
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[[Category:President William McKinley High School alumni]]
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[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
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[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Native Hawaiian swimmers]]