| His Excellency Rodrigo Augusto da Silva GCLH, GCSG, GCVV, PC (Bra). |
|
|---|---|
| Rodrigo A. da Silva | |
| Senator from Sao Paulo | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil | |
| Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Public Works | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1833 Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo state, Brazil |
| Died | October 17, 1889 (aged 55) Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Occupation | Writer, politician, diplomat |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Rodrigo Augusto da Silva (Sao Paulo, December 7, 1833 — October 17, 1889) a Brazilian senator for life, minister and a privy counsellor of Emperor Peter II of Brazil. He was a member of the Silva de Carvalho family from São Paulo, the son of José Manuel da Silva (Baron of Tiete) and nephew of financier Benedito Antonio da Silva.[1] Senator Silva is best known as the minister that authored and countersigned with Princess Isabel, then Princess Imperial Regent of Brazil the Golden Law (Lei Áurea);[2] this law ended slavery in Brazil and in consequence the Western world. Together with his friend Antonio da Silva Prado and the Viscount of Maua he was among the promoters of the industrialization of Brazil.
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In order to approve the Golden Law Rodrigo Silva had to defend it in the parliament on May 9, 1888. He received heavy attacks from members of his own party. The discussion became emotive and even attacks on the character of the Minister were exposed by other parliamentarians, they pointed that he was once against abolition. Answering to one of these parliamentarians Rodrigo Silva said:“Compared to a question of this magnitude, all individualities are mere demean.” Joaquim Nabuco came to his rescue and added: “Or ennoble, such is the case of your Excellency” Rodrigo da Silva ended the discussion with these words:
| “ | I accepted the position of Minister in a very exceptional condition; from it I got all unpleasantness, preoccupations and sacrifices that politics impose. It is enough to me the conviction, that places me above all prejudice and personal interest, to leave me the sweet compensation that, today, as always, I will be well judged by my nation, as an obscure employee that did not cease work for the freedom of a whole nation, and, for a great conquest in favor of liberty in our country. | ” |
After the speech people screamed: Well Done! Well Done! And applause could be heard from the galleries upstairs.[3]
A total of 83 Parliamentarians voted yes and only the following voted against it: Barao de Aracaji, Bulhoes Carvalho, Castrioto, Pedro Luiz, Bezamat, Alfredo Chaves, Lacerda Werneck, Andrade Figueira and Cunha Leitao.[4] As a result of the Golden Law (Lei Aurea), the Conservative government was divided internally and the opposition (Liberals/Republicans) used the opportunity to try to grab power again. Opposition was so strong that the government and Senator Silva lost political support, and the House of Braganza-Orleans would lose the Crown of Brazil in less than two years after the abolition.
In contrast to the opposition faced in Brazil, senator Silva and Princess Isabel were highly regarded outside Brazil. Senator da Silva was honored by the Vatican, France and Portugal and Isabel received a Gold Rose from the Pope for the courage showed in freeing the slaves. Senator Rodrigo da Silva was awarded the maximum honor of the French nation, the grand cross of the Legion of Honor, the Pope gave him the Grand-cross of first class of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, and Portugal gave him an honor normally reserved to the royal family the Grand-cross of the Royal Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa. On the 31st of May 1889 the State Council meets with the Emperor. State Councilors Lafaiete Rodrigues Pereira and Paulino Jose Soares de Sousa strongly attacked the Joao Alfredo Cabinet and specially the actions of the Ministers of Agriculture Rodrigo Silva and Antonio da Silva Prado.[5]
Senator Soares de Souza attacked senators Rodrigo Silva and Antonio Prado saying:
“The most profound discontentment reigns in the conservative classes, the most numerous and influent, the plantation owners that the irreversible act of 13th of May of last year left without any reparation of the violated right ... In the centers of agriculture has been growing republican propaganda, gaining victories, such as the last election of deputies sent to Congress by the province of Minas Gerais…"
(Atas do Conselho de Estado Pleno, 31 May 1889)[6]
Senator Rodrigo was a descendant of Portuguese aristocratic families, among them the Silveira Bettencourt (see Jean de Béthencourt), Cunha Gago (descendant of Fruela II of León) and Silva de Carvalho families.[7] Senator Rodrigo’s family was very influential in Sao Paulo for over a century and members of the family were commanders of the militia and members of the municipal chamber of Santo Amaro. Senator Silva’s grandfather was Jose da Silva de Carvalho, he was nominated captain-major of Santo Amaro by the King of Portugal and latter became a militia commander for a large part of the province of Sao Paulo. He was given the rank of sargento-mor (Portuguese colonial title). The sons of Jose da Silva de Carvalho continued the family tradition and assumed command of the militia, first colonel Jose Manuel da Silva (Baron of Tiete) and latter major Benedito Antonio da Silva.[8]
Senator Silva’s father was given the title of Baron of Tiete by Peter II and was also a commander of the Order of Christ. He was a senior political figure in Sao Paulo until his death on the 18th of March 1877, a member of the Provincial assembly and was previously President and 1st Vice-president of the province of Sao Paulo. The family built a fortune in the transportation of coffee and latter on railways, factories, banks and utility companies. Jose Manuel da Silva and Benedito Antonio da Silva invested heavily in the use of tropas, a form of caravan that used horses and donkeys to transport goods. During the 1860s and 1870’s the family invested with other capitalists such as the Silva Prado family and the Viscount of Maua, in the construction of railway companies in Sao Paulo. Jose Manuel da Silva latter became president of the Bank of Brazil in Sao Paulo. In 1888, Rodrigo’s uncle, major Benedito Antonio da Silva became one of the founding partners in the Docks of Santos Corporation. This company was the largest private investment in Brazil during the Imperial period.[9] In his youth Rodrigo da Silva benefited from his father’s wealth and had the best education available in Sao Paulo. He was fluent in different languages and graduated from Law school in the Largo Sao Francisco in Sao Paulo. During his career in the national capital of Rio de Janeiro the press used to draw his caricature as an elitist not concerned with the people as a result of his aristocratic upbringing.[10]
Rodrigo da Silva married Catharina Mattoso da Camara in Rio de Janeiro on June 1859, daughter of the aristocrat and senator, Eusebio de Queiros. The senator was responsible for the law that forbade the slave trade in the South Atlantic between Africa and Brazil, the law was passed in 1850.
In 1888 as Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Public works he negotiated with the house of Rothschild in London the sale of Brazilian bonds to finance infrastructure in Brazil. This specific issue was valued at 6 million pounds. In the same year senator Silva and his political allied Antonio da Silva Prado implemented a plan to attract immigrants from Europe to Brazil. Senator Silva and senator Silva Prado were very successful and during their years as Ministers of Agriculture and of Foreign Affairs one of the largest influxes of immigrants in history was established in Brazil (see Italian Brazilians and Portuguese Brazilians). A large Italian colony in the state of Minas Gerais was named in his honor.
As Minister of Foreign affairs Rodrigo Silva negotiated with Argentina the division of the Mission territories, and subsequently accepted the arbitration of the president of the United States. A treaty for the arbitration was signed in Buenos Aires on September 7, 1889. Baron of Rio Branco would later conclude the negotiations between the republican government of Brazil and Argentina. The decision was in favor of Brazil.
Ruy Barbosa strongly attacked Rodrigo Silva and published numerous articles in the press against him. Ruy Barbosa was a secret republican in opposition to Rodrigo, a strong supporter of the Emperor and the House of Braganza.
Rodrigo was also criticized by Campos Sales (later president of Brazil) for his strong friendship and protection of Gaston of Orléans, Count d'Eu and Isabel of Brazil. Campos Sales and other republicans believed that the Count d'Eu (French prince and husband of Isabel of Brazil) was trying to become head of state.
The death of senator Rodrigo Silva was a great surprise in Brazil since he was only 55 years old. It was a hard blow for the House of Braganza since they strongly needed people that they could trust in the Senate. He died a month before Republicans implemented a coup and dethroned Peter II.
The New York Times published the following regarding his death on the 24th of 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.
Senator Silva received the following orders of knighthood:
Grand-cross of the Royal Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa-Portugal
Grand-cross of first class of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great-Vatican
Grand-cross of the French Legion of Honor-France [1]
A district in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais was named in his honor, known as Rodrigo Silva.
A large Italian colony in the state of Minas Gerais was named Senator Rodrigo Silva.
Many streets in Brazil are named after Senator Rodrigo da Silva, especially in his native state of Sao Paulo.
Machado de Assis wrote a chronicle about the abolition of slavery; Senator Rodrigo da Silva is mentioned in the chronicle.
He also appears in the writings of Ruy Barbosa, Viscount of Taunay and Humberto de Campos.
A controvérsia em torno do Chamado Território das Missões. Luciano Rodrigues Campos, 2007.
Tropeiros na Formacao do Brasil, Jose Alipio Goulart, 1961.
Almanak Laemmert, Rio de Janeiro 1877
Em Casas Terras Com Alcovas Formas De Morar Entre Os Setores Medios Em Sao Paulo, 1875 E 1900. Maria Luiza Ferreira de Oliveira, 2003.
ATAS DO CONSELHO DE ESTADO PLENO 304, 31 DE MAIO DE 1889.
Genealogia Paulista by Silva Leme.
João Teodoro by Alfredo Gomes, 1967.
A Academia de Sao Paulo by Jose Luiz Almeida Nogueira, 1907.
Feijo e a primeira metade do seculo XIX, Alfredo Ellis Jr.
O Circulo dos grandes: Um Estudo sobre politica, elites e redes no Segundo reinado a partir da trajetoria do visconde do Cruzeiro (1854–1889), Maria Fernanda Martins 2007.
A Vila de Santo Amaro by Edmundo Zenha, 1977.
