Joaquim Nabuco

Nabuco confessed to feeling a "nostalgia for the slaves" due to their generosity, which contrasted with the selfishness of their masters. "Slavery will remain for a long time as the national characteristic of Brazil," he affirmed.

• Name — Joaquim Nabuco • Office — Ambassador of Brazil to the United States • Term Start — May 23, 1905 • Term End — January 17, 1910 • Nominator — Rodrigues Alves • Predecessor — Alfredo de Morais Gomes Ferreira • Successor — Domício da Gama • Office1 — Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom • Term Start1 — February 4, 1901 • Term End1 — January 10, 1905 • Nominator1 — Campos Sales • Predecessor1 — João Artur de Sousa Correia • Successor1 — Francisco Régis de Oliveira • Office2 — Member of the Chamber of Deputies • Term Start2 — July 3, 1885 • Term End2 — November 15, 1889 • Constituency2 — Pernambuco • Term Start3 — January 13, 1879 • Term End3 — January 17, 1882 • Constituency3 — Pernambuco • Birth Name — Joaquim Aurélio Barreto Nabuco de Araújo • Born — 19 August 1849 • Birthplace — Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil • Died — 17 January 1910 • Place of death — Washington, D.C., U.S. • Occupation — Diplomat and politician • Alma Mater — Faculty of Law of Recife • Children — Maurício Joaquim Carolina Mariana José Tomás

• Illustration — Portrait at the age of 7, 1856 Born in Brazil, Joaquim was the son of a major political figure in the Brazilian Empire, José Tomás Nabuco (1813–1878), a lifetime senator, counselor of state, and wealthy landowner. José made his move from conservativism to liberalism in the 1860s, establishing the Liberal Party in 1868, and supporting the reforms that would lead to the abolition of slavery in 1888.

Joaquim Nabuco spent most of his time traveling and living abroad between 1873-1878. As a young adult, Nabuco had a 14-year relationship with financier and philanthropist Eufrásia Teixeira Leite, who was one of the richest people in the world at the time. The romance with Nabuco began during a trip by ship to Europe, in 1873, and would last until 1887, when Eufrásia sent her last letter to Joaquim Nabuco. Two years later, at 38 years old, he married Evelina Torres Soares Ribeiro. Nabuco was a friend of the famous writer Machado de Assis.

After returning to Brazil in 1878, Nabuco began his public fight against slavery through his political activity and in his writings. He campaigned against slavery in the Chamber of Deputies from 1878, and he founded the Brazilian Anti-Slavery Society. In 1883, he wrote probably the most important work against slavery in the Portuguese language: O Abolicionismo. Although he was largely responsible for the abolition of slavery in 1888, historians have wondered if he feared that the number of enslaved people would "Africanize" Brazil. He is quoted as saying, "Free labor and slave labor cannot coexist, and neither can slavery and immigration". However, it is hard to explain, under this view, why Nabuco would want Africans to become free citizens when slave traffic had already been prohibited. After the overthrow of the Brazilian monarchy he retired from public life for a period of time. He later became the first ambassador from Brazil to the United States from 1905–1910, which marked a significant shift in his country's role in the world arena. Nabuco realized the importance for Brazil, and other South American nations, to develop a united relationship with the North American stage. In Washington, he worked with Elihu Root who also supported this idea of Pan-Americanism. He spent many years in both England and France, where he was a strong proponent of Pan-Americanism, presiding over the third Pan-American Conference which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1906. Following Nabuco's death on January 17, 1910, the Pan-American Building in Washington, D.C. was finally completed. At the dedication ceremony the Secretary of State said the following words about him: “One voice that should have spoken here today is silent, but many of us cannot forget or cease to mourn and to honor our dear and noble friend, Joaquim Nabuco. Ambassador from Brazil, dean of the American diplomatic corps, respected, admired, trusted, loved and followed by all of us, he was a commanding figure in the international movement of which the creation of this building is part…” • Illustration — Funeral procession of Joaquim Nabuco in front of the Palácio Monroe, 1910 His best known work is his autobiography Minha formação, published in 1900. It vividly portrays the slave-holding society in 19th century Brazil. Of his major works, Minha formação and O abolicionismo have been translated into English, as My Formative Years and Abolitionism respectively.