Lauro Severiano Müller (8 November 1863 – 30 July 1926) was a Brazilian politician, diplomat, and military engineer. Responsible for the transition of Santa Catarina from a province to a state, he is also recognised as one of those who helped achieve the Brazilian diplomatic victory over

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

through the Treaty of Petrópolis, which allowed for the purchase of

Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

and its incorporation into Brazil. Müller occupied the 34th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1912 until his death in 1926.

Biography

Born in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, he was the son of the German immigrants Peter Müller and Anna Michels, originally from the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

. On his mother's side, his first cousin was Filipe Schmidt, who also served two terms as President of Santa Catarina. A passionate follower of

Benjamin Constant Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque (25 October 1767 – 8 December 1830), or simply Benjamin Constant, was a Swiss and French political thinker, activist and writer on political theory and religion. A committed republican from 1795, Constant ...

's positivism in his youth, he embarked on a military career in his native province after a brief stint in a merchant's office. His political career began in 1889, when the first

President of Brazil The president of Brazil (), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil () or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head of government of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the ...

Deodoro da Fonseca Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca (; 5 August 1827 – 23 August 1892) was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the Head of Provisional Government and the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, fo ...

, made him President of Santa Catarina and charged him with organising the province that had been transformed into a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

. Later, he served as a federal deputy, senator (1899–1926), member of the Academy of Letters (1912–1926), and minister of state. He carried out great reforms while holding the ministerial portfolios of Industry, Transport and Public Works, during the presidency of

Rodrigues Alves Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, PC (; 7 July 1848 – 16 January 1919) was a Brazilian politician who first served as president of the Province of São Paulo in 1887, then as Treasury minister in the 1890s. Rodrigues Alves was elected the ...

. As Minister of Foreign Affairs a post he assumed in 1912 upon the untimely death of the

Barão do Rio Branco Barão is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It includes the districts Arroio Canoas, Francesa Alta, General Neto and Francesa Baixa. Barão is 80 km from Porto Alegre. The municipality is bordered by Carlos Barbosa ( ...

, he pursued economic integration with

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. He was forced to resign in 1917 because Brazil had entered

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

on the side of the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

, and anti-German sentiment created opposition to him due to his German roots. He was elected President of Santa Catarina again in 1918, but preferred to remain a senator. During an official visit to the U.S. as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was offered the title of

Doctor Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He was also made an honorary samurai on an official visit to Japan. The positions he held in his long political career include: Member of the Constitutional Assembly Member of Congress Governor of the State Minister of Public Works General of the Army Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator of the Republic He became popular for his important public works, such as the construction of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

's Avenida Central, today

Avenida Rio Branco Rio Branco Avenue (), formerly Avenida Central, is a major road in downtown Rio de Janeiro. It was built as the leading brand of the urban reform carried out by the mayor Pereira Passos in early 20th century. It is one of the main thoroughfares ...

, and improvements to that city's port. He died in Rio in 1926.

References

*
Brazilian Regional Bio-Bibliographic Dictionary
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Lauro Brazilian diplomats Ministers of foreign affairs of Brazil Brazilian people of German descent 1863 births 1926 deaths Governors of Santa Catarina (state) Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters People from Itajaí