Rui Barbosa

Rui Barbosa was a Brazilian polymath, diplomat, writer, jurist, and politician. He was born in Salvador, Bahia, on 5 November 1849, to a prominent family of lawyers and intellectuals. He studied law at the Faculty of Law of Largo de São Francisco in São Paulo, where he graduated in 1870. He became a renowned orator and journalist, defending the abolition of slavery and the republican cause in Brazil. He was one of the drafters of the constitution of Brazil's first republic in 1890, and held various positions in the provisional government, including minister of finance. He was also a senator from 1895 to 1923, and a candidate for the presidency in 1910 and 1919. He represented Brazil in the second Hague conference in 1907, where he defended the principle of juridical equality of nations and the arbitration of international conflicts. He was also an advocate of Brazil's participation in World War I on the side of the Allies. He was a prolific writer and scholar, producing works on law, history, politics, philosophy, and linguistics. He was also a collector of books and manuscripts, and his library is considered one of the most valuable in Latin America. He died of heart failure in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, on 1 March 1923, and was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Brazilian history and culture, and his legacy is celebrated by various institutions and awards.