Costa, Hipólito José da (1774–1823)

Hipólito José da Costa (b. 25 March 1774; d. 11 September 1823), journalist. Born in the colony of Sacramento, Brazil, where his father served in the royal troops, da Costa graduated with a degree in philosophy (1796) and law (1798) from the University of Coimbra. He began his public career under the protection of minister of the colonies Rodrigo de Souza Coutinho, who placed him in charge of a visit to the United States and Mexico in 1798, and appointed him director of the royal press.

Da Costa undertook a voyage to England in 1802 with the aim of acquiring books, machinery, and other typographical equipment. When he returned, he was seized by the Inquisition and accused of being a mason. He escaped to London (1805), where, in 1808, he founded the liberal newspaper Correio Braziliense, a publication that had a decisive influence at the time of Brazil's independence, even though it did not advocate separation from Portugal until February 1822. As a result of new freedoms of the press and the proliferation of numerous periodicals, da Costa believed that Brazil no longer needed news emanating from abroad. Publication of Correio Braziliense ceased in 1822. After independence, da Costa was appointed the Brazilian representative in London, but he died soon after his nomination.

See alsoJournalism .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mecenas Dourado, Hipólito da Costa e o Correio Braziliense (1957).

Carlos Rizzini, Hipólito da Costa e o Correio Braziliense (1957).

Additional Bibliography

Costa, Hipólito José da, and Sergio Goes de Paula. Hipólito José da Costa. São Paulo: Editora 34, 2001.

Quevedo, Raul. Em nome da liberdade: A saga de Hipólito José da Costa. Pelotas: UFPEL, Editora Universitária, 1997.

                             LÚcia M. Bastos P. Neves