Ruy Barbosa

Ruy Barbosa de Oliveira (5 November 1849 – 1 March 1923), also known as Rui Barbosa, was a Brazilian politician, writer, jurist, philologist, journalist and diplomat.¹²

A prominent defender of civil liberties who called for the abolition of slavery in Brazil, Barbosa represented Brazil in the second Hague convention, and argued for Brazil's participation in World War I on the side of the Allies. He also personally ordered the destruction of all government records pertaining to slavery while being Minister of Finance, as an effort to prevent previous slaveowners from receiving any sort of financial compensation. His defence of individual freedom led to his public condemning of communism and obligatory vaccinations.

Barbosa was a founding member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, alongside names such as Machado de Assis, Viscount of Taunay, Joaquim Nabuco and Olavo Bilac.³ He would also act as a president for the organization from 1908 to 1919.

During the presidency of Floriano Peixoto, Barbosa was forced into exile due to the disastrous consequences of his policies in his time as Minister of Finance. After his exile, Barbosa ran for presidency multiple times, though, ultimately, all of this attempts would fail.

Early life

Rui Barbosa was born in Salvador, Bahia. He gave his first public speech for the abolition of slavery when he was 19. For the rest of his life he remained an uncompromising defender of . was finally abolished by the ("Golden Law") in 1888. He was also one of the republicanist participants in the 1889 coup to overthrow , though in later years he would praise the late deposed monarch.