Adoption of the Hawaii State Tree

Lawrence McCully Judd was the son of missionaries. He was appointed the seventh Territorial Governor of Hawai'i by President Herbert Hoover and served from 1929 to 1934.

On March 17, 1930, while serving as Territorial Governor of Hawai'i, he issued a proclamation declaring the coconut palm or niu (Cocos nucifera) to be the official tree of the Territory of Hawai'i.

The niu served as the official tree until April 30, 1959. On May 1, 1959, with Joint Resolution No. 3, the 30th Territorial Legislature of Hawai'i approved the kukui, or candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccana), as the official tree of the State of Hawai'i.