Pessoa, Epitácio da Silva (1865–1942)

Epitácio da Silva Pessoa (b. 23 May 1865; d. 13 February 1942), president of Brazil (July 1919–November 1922). Orphaned son of a Paraíban landowner, Pessoa was raised by relatives in Pernambuco, where he later graduated from the Recife Law Faculty. After his arrival in Rio de Janeiro in 1889, Pessoa steadily rose among the elite of the young republic, serving as minister of justice (1898–1901), Supremo Tribunal Federal justice (1902–1912), and senator (1912–1919). In 1919 Pessoa led Brazil's delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference, winning fame while negotiating German war reparations and participating in the creation of the League of Nations. While in Versailles, Pessoa was chosen to become president of Brazil through a closed-door compromise struck among the political elite of Brazil's most powerful states, Minas Gerais and São Paulo, to fill out the term of deceased president Rodrígues Alves.

As president, Pessoa strongly supported federal investment in roads, railways, electrification, northeastern drought relief, and higher education. Pessoa contended with political discord among northeastern elites and disgruntled members of the Clube Militar. The final year of Pessoa's presidency, 1922, was a watershed in the steady destabilization of the First Republic, as São Paulo's Modern Art Week, the first tenente (lieutenant) revolt, and the Centenary Exposition of Brazilian Independence all challenged the purported vision of republican peace and prosperity. Upon stepping down from the presidency, Pessoa remained active in federal politics, and also served for many years on the International Court of Justice.

See alsoBrazil, Independence Movements .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

E. Bradford Burns, A History of Brazil (1970).

Linda Lewin, Politics and Parentela in Paraíba: A Case Study of Family-Based Oligarchy in Brazil (1987).

Additional Bibliography

Lewin, Linda. "The Papers of Epitácio Pessoa: An Archival Note and a Personal Comment." Luso-Brazilian Review 33:1 (Summer 1996): 1-20

Quaresma, Quélia H. "Electoral Mobilization and the Construction of a Civic Culture in Brazil, 1909–1930," Ph.D. diss., 1998.

Topik, Steven. The Political Economy of the Brazilian State, 1889–1930. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1987.

                                        Daryle Williams