Deodoro da Fonseca

"Deodoro" redirects here. For other uses, seeDeodoro (disambiguation).

"Marechal Deodoro" redirects here. For other uses, seeMarechal Deodoro (disambiguation).

His Excellency Deodoro da Fonseca
Official portrait, 1889
President of Brazil
In office 15 November 1889 – 23 November 1891
Vice President	None(1889–1891) Floriano Peixoto(Feb–Nov 1891)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Floriano Peixoto
President of Rio Grande do Sul
In office 8 May 1886 – 9 November 1886
Preceded by	Barão de Lucena
Succeeded by	Miguel Calmon du Pin
Personal details
Born	(1827-08-05)5 August 1827 Alagoas da Lagoa do Sul,Alagoas,Empire of Brazil
Died	23 August 1892(1892-08-23)(aged 65) Rio de Janeiro,Federal District,Brazil
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Mariana Cecília de Sousa Meireles ​ ​ (m.1860)​
Relations	Hermes da Fonseca(nephew)
Parent(s)	Manuel Mendes da Fonseca Galvão (father) Rosa Maria Paulina de Barros Cavalcanti (mother)
Alma mater	Praia Vermelha Military School
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	Brazilian Army
Years of service	1843-1892
Rank	Generalissimo
Commands	1st Foot Artillery Battalion 24th Volunteer Corps of the Fatherland 1st Mounted Artillery Regiment Commander of Arms of Bahia Commander of Arms of Rio Grande do Sul Army Quartermaster Commander of Arms of Mato Grosso
Battles/wars	Great Siege of Montevideo Praieira Revolt Paraguayan War Battle of Estero Bellaco Battle of Tuyutí Battle of Potrero Obella Battle of Taji Siege of Humaitá Battle of Angostura Battle of Piribebuy Brazilian Naval Revolt
Awards	Order of the Southern Cross

Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca(Portuguese pronunciation:[mɐnuˈɛwdeoˈdɔɾudafõˈsekɐ];5 August 1827 – 23 August 1892) was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the firstpresident of Brazil.He was born inAlagoasin a military family, followed a military career, and became a national figure. Fonseca took office as provisional president after headinga military coupthat deposedEmperor Pedro IIand established theFirst Brazilian Republicin 1889, disestablishing theEmpire.After his election in 1891, he stepped down the same year under great political pressure when he dissolved theNational Congress.He died less than a year later.

Early life

Fonseca was born the third child of a large military family on 5 August 1827 in Alagoas da Lagoa do Sul,Alagoas,a town that now bears his name asMarechal Deodoro,inNortheast Brazil.He was the son of Manuel Mendes da Fonseca Galvão (1785–1859) and his wife, Rosa Maria Paulina de Barros Cavalcanti (1802–1873). During the Brazilian Empire, his older brother, Severino Martins da Fonseca, was nominated the first Baron of Alagoas. Another notable relative was the PortuguesehumanistFrancisco de Holanda(d. 1585), his remote uncle. Fonseca pursued a military career that was notable for his suppression of thePraieira revoltin Pernambuco in 1848, Brazil's response to that year'srevolutions in Europe.He also saw action during theParaguayan War(1864–1870), attaining the rank of captain. In 1884 he was promoted to the rank offield marshal,and he later achieved the rank of full marshal. His personal courage, military competence, and manly personal style made him a national figure.

Political career

As Governor ofRio Grande do Sul,Fonseca was courted by republican intellectuals such asBenjamin ConstantandRuy Barbosain the café society ofSão Paulo.In 1886, alerted that the imperial government was ordering the arrest of prominent republicans, Fonseca went toRio de Janeiroand assumed leadership of the army faction that supported the abolition ofslavery in Brazil.

Emperor Pedro IIhad advocated the abolition of slavery for decades, freeing his own slaves in 1840, but he believed slavery should be done away with slowly to avoid damaging the Brazilian economy. The government, nominally headed by his daughter,Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil,abolished slavery entirely in 1888, during her third regency while her father was away from the country. Enraged oligarchs played a role in the subsequent coup d'état. Fonseca's prestige placed him at the head of the military coup that deposed the emperor on 15 November 1889, and he was briefly the head of the provisional government that called a Constituent Congress to draft a new constitution fora republic.Soon, however, he was in conflict with the civilian republican leaders. Hiselection as presidenton 25 February 1891, by a narrow plurality, was backed with military pressure on Congress.

Presidency

The Fonseca administration, divided by political and personal animosity between Fonseca and Vice PresidentFloriano Peixoto,encountered strong opposition within Congress, which chose a policy of obstruction. During the first months of his presidency, he permitted his ministers almost unrestricted control of their ministries.Arbitrary presidential decrees, such as the concession of the port ofTorresto a private company and Decree 528, which opened the country to further immigration except by Africans, as well as the disastrous conduct ofeconomic policyduring thebubbleof theEncilhamento,strengthened the resistance in Congress, which coalesced around Peixoto and soured public opinion. That also caused republicans in the South to withdraw their support from the marshal and provisional government.The situation reached a crisis stage when Fonseca dissolved the National Congress and declared a "state of emergency" on 3 November 1891. A group of deputies opposed the decision and found support among the high-ranking officers of the Navy, including Admiral Custódio José de Melo. The marshal found himself on the brink of a civil war. On 23 November 1891, he signed a resignation to no one in particular and turned over the presidency to Peixoto.

Death

He died in Rio de Janeiro on 23 August 1892. He was stricken with perilous bouts ofdyspnea,popularly referred to as "shortness of breath", and was buried in a family grave in theCaju Cemetery.However, in 1937, his remains were unearthed and transferred to a monument in Praça Paris, Rio de Janeiro.

Gallery

• Deodoro da Fonseca in art
• 
  Military coup of 1889 on 15 November 1889
• 
  Marshal Fonseca in 1889, by Bror Kronstrand
• 
  Fechamento do CongressobyAngelo Agostini(1892)
• 
  Tomb monument of Deodoro da Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro.
• 
  Marechal Deodoro da Fonsecaengraved byModesto Brocos(1890)

In popular culture

Fonseca has been portrayed twice by Brazilian actor and voice actorCastro Gonzagain the miniseriesAbolição(1988) andRepública(1989) respectively.

See also

• List of presidents of Brazil

References

• Charles Willis Simmons,Marshal Deodoro and the fall of Dom Pedro II,1966

External links

Media related toDeodoro da Fonsecaat Wikimedia Commons