Rodrigo Augusto da Silva (7 December 1833 — 17 October 1889), nicknamed "the diplomat", was a politician, diplomat, lawyer, monarchist and journalist of 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 Pe ...
. He is best known as the minister that authored and countersigned with
Princess Isabel, then Princess Imperial Regent the law that ended
slavery in Brazil
Slavery in Brazil began long before the first Portuguese settlement was established in 1516, with members of one tribe enslaving captured members of another. Later, colonists were heavily dependent on indigenous labor during the initial phases ...
. Rodrigo was born in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
into a family of wealthy financiers. His father, the
Baron of Tietê, was also a politician and leader of the conservative party in São Paulo.
Rodrigo became a deputy in the
Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies ( pt, Câmara dos Deputados) is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. The chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year t ...
when he was 24 years old and served a total of seven terms representing the province of São Paulo. He later served as President of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo,
cabinet minister in two conservative governments and
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
of the empire. Even though he died relatively young his career lasted over 30 years. In his first year as a deputy and throughout his career he defended policies to increase
immigration from Europe, industrialization of the empire, improvement of infrastructure, modernization of the financial system and access to credit for the
agricultural sector.
Early life
Rodrigo Augusto da Silva was born on 7 December 1833, in the imperial city of São Paulo, capital of the
province of São Paulo. He was the son of
José Manuel da Silva and Maria Reducinda da Cunha e Silva. He had one older brother named Candido Justiniano and two sisters, named Raphaela and Joaquina Angelica. Rodrigo was the paternal grandson of José da Silva de Carvalho, a municipal judge and commanding officer of the
Portuguese ordinances in
Santo Amaro. Rodrigo's grandfather was a wealthy land owner and
capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
that acted as a
private mortgage lender. Rodrigo's father followed his father's steps and got involved in commerce and finance in the city of São Paulo. In his banking career José Manuel became president of the São Paulo branch of the
Bank of Brazil and the
Caixa Econômica. As a leader of the moderate party, later conservative party, José Manuel was part of the government of São Paulo in the years after the
Independence of Brazil, serving in different positions in the municipal and provincial governments.
Rodrigo attended the
Largo de São Francisco Law School where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree in 1856. In law school he was a member of a
secret society called ''Brasilica''. This society was founded by law students and had as its main objective the strengthening of conservative ideas. The society counted among the initiated political figures connected to Rodrigo and the conservative party, among them Antonio da Silva Prado, Thomas Coelho and Delfino Cintra. According to a biographer, in his academic years Rodrigo "revealed a lucid and easy intelligence, firmness of character, unbreakable dedication, clear vision and noble political ideas." Rodrigo spoke and wrote notoriously well, had a passion for
classical literature and knew how to dress with great elegance. These characteristics would later afford him the nickname "the diplomat". While still a student in 1856 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, he finished his senior year and occupied a seat in the Legislative Assembly at the same time. In 1857 he moved to Rio de Janeiro to occupy a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo was a permanent substitute and represented the 1st district of São Paulo. In Rio de Janeiro he married Catharina de Queirós Mattoso Ribeiro, daughter of conservative leader
Eusébio de Queirós
Eusébio de Queirós Coutinho Matoso da Câmara (Luanda, 1812 – Rio de Janeiro, May 7, 1868) was a Brazilian magistrate and politician, Minister of Justice (1848–1852) and author of one of the most important laws of the Empire of Brazil, the Eu ...
. Catharina would die during the birth of Maria Custodia, the couple's only child.
Political career
Conservative politician
In 1885 conflict among different interest groups created a crisis in the Liberal government.
Slavery abolition
Later years
Death
After months of suffering Rodrigo died surrounded by his friends, among them writer
Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short sto ...
. His death caused wide commotion in the empire. Rodrigo's funeral was watched by members of the government, the
abolitionist movement
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
and leaders of the black community.
Official mourning
Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...
was declared and the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Public works; the Senate; the Chamber of Deputies; and the Postal Service were closed.
The
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
published the following regarding his death on the 24 November 1889:
We have to record the death of another prominent man in Brazilian politics, that of Counselor Rodrigo Augusto da Silva, which took place at his residence in this city (Rio de Janeiro), at 8:30 P.M. on the 17th inst. He was a prominent and popular member of the Conservative party, a native of Sao Paulo, which province he represented in the Senate, and had twice occupied positions in the Imperial Cabinet. He was Minister of Agriculture in the Joao Alfredo Cabinet which passed the abolition law of 1888, and was still in the prime of life.
Legacy
Titles and honors
Titles
*
Privy Councillor of His Majesty the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
.
Other Titles
* President of the Auxiliary Association for the Progress of the Province of São Paulo.
* Counselor of the ''Irmandade de Nossa Senhora da Consolação e S. João Baptista'' (São Paulo), Steward in 1878.
Honors
* Grand Cross of the Pontifical Equestrian
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope.
The order is one of ...
.
* Grand Cross of the Portuguese
Order of Christ.
* Grand Cross of the Portuguese
Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
The Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (also known as The Order of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Vicosa; pt, Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Vila Viçosa) is a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the f ...
.
* Grand Cross of the French
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
.
* Grand Cross of the Spanish
Order of Isabella the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
.
Notes
*The timing of the crisis was delicate since republicanism was no longer only an idea but a threat. To aggravate the situation Dom Pedro II was becoming indifferent to the threats of a republic, as he declared to Counselor Saraiva: "It will be my retirement. I will become a teacher!" The emperor's heiress, Princess Isabel had little support in the ruling classes and was connected to an ultraconservative Catholic movement. When Dom Pedro II asked Counselor Saraiva what he thought of his daughter's future reign, he ironically replied: "The kingdom of your daughter is not of this world". Rodrigo, answering for the conservatives on 8 June 1885 declared in the Chamber of Deputies: "If, after more than half a century of battles, of efforts, of immense sacrifices, we arrived at this deplorable state of the system that rules over us, with reason those three representatives of the new idea (pointing to the three republican deputies) can ask us with contempt in their lips: what have you obtained with this form of government, that you judge to be in this country the only guarantee of political order and also the only guarantee of stability for all rights and social interests? I finish by saying that it is the case to say, as an eminent parliamentary of the time of Charles X: 'Nothing remains for us to do here. Let's go to our windows watch the funerals of the monarchy passing by'!"
*In the words of Egas: "Rodrigo Silva was called the diplomat for his distinct manners and for his notorious elegance in dressing and presenting himself. He wrote and spoke brilliantly."
Footnotes
References
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External links
Links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Rodrigo Augusto Da
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Foreign ministers of Brazil
Brazilian Roman Catholics
Christian abolitionists
Brazilian diplomats
Brazilian people of Portuguese descent
Brazilian abolitionists
University of São Paulo alumni
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Members of the Senate of the Empire of Brazil
Government ministers of Brazil
Conservative Party (Brazil) politicians
1889 deaths
1833 births
Members of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo