Emilie Widemann Macfarlane | |
|---|---|
 Macfarlane; her two children, Alice and Walter; and her niece, Gardie Macfarlane, 1886 | |
| Born | Emilie Kekāuluohi Widemann October 3, 1859 |
| Died | March 13, 1947 (aged 87) |
| Resting place | Oahu Cemetery |
| Spouse | Frederick W. Macfarlane |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Hermann A. Widemann Mary Kaumana Pilahiuilani |
Emilie Kekāuluohi Widemann Macfarlane (October 3, 1859 – March 13, 1947) was a Native Hawaiian activist and civic organizer during the late 19th and early 20th centuries She was known for her charitable work and civic involvement in Honolulu, including women's suffrage, public health, education, and the preservation of Hawaii's historical legacy.
Macfarlane was born of German and Native Hawaiian descent, and her family were connected to the aliʻi (nobility) class of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She married Hawaiian-born British businessman Frederick W. Macfarlane and had three children.
In 1893, shortly after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Macfarlane was elected the first president of Hui Aloha ʻĀina for Women, an organization formed in opposition to the deposition of Queen Liliʻuokalani and efforts to annex the islands to the United States. Macfarlane resigned after a few weeks in office after a subsequent rift with members of the organization. In 1895, she co-founded the Hawaiian Relief Society to assist the victims of a cholera epidemic in Honolulu. After Hawaii's annexation to the United States in 1898, Macfarlane led knitting circles for Hawaiian servicemen during World War I and supported her sister Wilhelmine Dowsett's campaign for women's suffrage in the Territory of Hawaii.