Baron of Rio Branco declared a National Hero

Itamaraty receives with satisfaction the news of the inscription of José Maria da Silva Paranhos Junior, the Baron of Rio Branco, in the Book of National Heroes, determined by Act 12.502, on October 11, 2011.

José Maria da Silva Paranhos Junior was a historian and diplomat. He had a degree in Law, and, before joining the diplomatic carrer, he was a member of Parliament and a journalist. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1902 and 1912, under four presidents: Rodrigues Alves, Afonso Pena, Nilo Peçanha and Hermes da Fonseca. His greatest legacy was the peaceful settlement of border disputes with neighboring countries, which resulted, to a large extent, in the current outline of the Brazilian territory. He is considered the patron of Brazilian diplomacy.

José Maria da Silva Paranhos Junior’s name will be inscripted in the Book of National Heroes, alongside names such as Zumbi dos Palmares, Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva and Alberto Santos Dumont. The Book is kept in the Tancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom, at the Three Powers Square, in Brasília.