[1][2][3] Elizabeth Jessemine Kauikeolani Low was born on August 9, 1895, in Honolulu, Republic of Hawaii, she was partially Native Hawaiian.
[2] Her parents were Elizabeth "Lizzie" Pu‘uki (née Napoli, later changed to Napoleon) and Ebenezer "Rawhide Ben" Kahekawaipunaokauaamaluih Parker Low.
[1][2][5] Her mother Lizzie was of mixed racial heritage and was a hānai (informally adopted) child to judge Sanford B. Dole and his wife.
[1][8] While in high school, Lucas volunteered with the organization Hui Pauahi, and she spent time with underserved youth in the then-impoverished Kakaʻako neighborhood of O'ahu.
[2] She moved back to Hawaii in 1920 for marriage, and to work at the private Hawaiian Humane Society, which at the time helped abused and neglected animals and children.
[2] During 1939, the economy in Hawaii took a downturn with the two leading industries of the time, the sugar and pineapple production, which employed more than 40% of the workforce on plantations on the islands, and they had declined in business.
[2] By 1940, the United States Armed Forces brought their personnel to O'ahu in response to World War II, which further increased the demand for housing and food supplies on the islands.