Don Francisco de Paula Marín (25 November 1774 – 30 October 1837) was a Spaniard who became influential in the early Kingdom of Hawaii.

[1] Marín's early life is not generally known, but he probably was born 25 November 1774, in Jerez de la Frontera, an area of Spain near Cadiz.

He became an interpreter and advisor in the acquisition and use of Western military weapons to King Kamehameha I who was just capturing Oʻahu island in the Battle of Nu'uanu.

[11] As the speaker of several languages, he was the unofficial diplomatic corps of Honolulu, acting as accountant and tax collector as he sold his products to restock ships.

[5] The new King, Kamehameha II, and his young French drinking companion Jean Baptiste Rives were happy to offer Marín's refreshments to visitors.

One daughter married Portuguese stonemason Antonio Ferreira, who in 1810 built one of the first stone houses in Honolulu for the Marín family.

[14] Although Swan was accused of fraud in Hawaii,[15] the family moved to Santa Cruz, California and became stable members of the early community there.

[18] When Richard Charlton, the first official British trade representative, arrived he brought a letter addressed to Marín saying that land should be provided for the consulate.

[20] When HMS Blonde arrived in 1825 with the bodies of Kamehameha II and his queen, who died in London, more plants were left off with Marín, including some of the first coffee trees.

After Robert Crichton Wyllie found Marín's diary as he started the Hawaii archives, he said:...much of the present wealth of the islands, is owing to the seeds, roots, and plants introduced by that one man.