Antônio Vicente da Fontoura (June 16, 1807 – October 20, 1860) was a Brazilian statesman. He was one of the main leaders of the

Riograndense Republic The Riograndense Republic, often called the Piratini Republic ( pt, República Rio-Grandense or ), was a ''de facto'' state that seceded from the Empire of Brazil and roughly coincided with the present state of Rio Grande do Sul. It was procl ...

during the

Ragamuffin War The Ragamuffin War (Portuguese: ''Guerra dos Farrapos'' or ''Revolução Farroupilha'') was a Republican uprising that began in southern Brazil, in the province (current state) of Rio Grande do Sul in 1835. The rebels were led by generals Bento ...

(1835–45) and the chief-negotiator of the Peace Agreement with the

Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom ...

Background

Fontoura was born on June 16, 1807, in the city of

Rio Pardo Rio Pardo is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with ove ...

to Eusébio Antônio Gonçalves, a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

land surveyor, and to Vicência Cândida da Fontoura, member of a

pioneer family A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state. He moved to the neighboring town of

Cachoeira do Sul Cachoeira do Sul () is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southernmost Brazil. Its Marian Catedral da Nossa Senhora da Conceição http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/brazil/2666.htm GCatholic is the episcopal see of the Roman Cathol ...

as a teenager and started his own retail business in the late 1820s. His involvement in politics started at age 23, when he was elected city

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

Ragamuffin War (1835–45)

As a businessman linked to the ranching interests of Southern Brazil, Fontoura was a fierce critic of the economic policies of the Brazilian central government, which favored the commodity exporting zones of the country to the detriment of the domestic-oriented economy of Rio Grande do Sul. At the same time, as a freemason and reader of liberal philosophers, Fontoura had an ingrained antipathy towards the

monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...

regime of Brazil. At the onset of the

, on September 20, 1835, Fontoura joined the rebels and took over the command of the state militia in

and

. He was appointed Minister of Finance of the

in 1841. Elected to the

Constitutional Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

of 1842–43, he progressively became the leader of an opposition party to the main military commander of the uprising,

Bento Gonçalves da Silva Bento Gonçalves da Silva (23 September 1788 – 18 July 1847), was a Brazilian army officer, politician and rebel leader of the Riograndense Republic. He was the first President of the Riograndense Republic and, by all accounts, one of the m ...

. In spite of his Republican ideals, Fontoura was not a supporter of the independence of Rio Grande do Sul at any cost. As the war evolved, he got convinced that a diplomatic effort would be preferable to a military escalation of the conflict, which would damage even further the state economy.

Chief-negotiator of the Peace of Ponche Verde

In late 1844, all rebel leaders rallied behind Fontoura and chose him as chief-negotiator of the talks with the Brazilian central government. Sent to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, then capital of the

Brazilian Empire The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom P ...

, he managed to negotiate an agreement that allowed a peaceful and honorable reintegration of Rio Grande do Sul into Brazil. While in Rio, notwithstanding his appeasement attitude, Fontoura refused to kiss the hand of Emperor Pedro II, stating that he was "not yet a Brazilian subject". Signed on March 1, 1845, the Peace Agreement of Ponche Verde granted amnesty to the Republican leaders, provided a financial compensation for Rio Grande do Sul and assured the emancipation of all African slaves serving in the Riograndense Army.

Late years

After the end of the war, Fontoura went back to the politics of

, as leader of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, and to his retail business. On the local election day of September 8, 1860, he was stabbed at a political rally and died the following month.SPALDING, Walter. ''Op.cit.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontoura, Antonio Vicente da 1807 births 1860 deaths Brazilian Freemasons Liberal Party (Brazil) politicians