José Maria da Silva Paranhos, barão do Rio Branco

Through his foreign minister, José Maria da Silva Paranhos, border disputes were settled peacefully with Bolivia, Uruguay, British Guiana, and Suriname (Dutch Guiana). In 1918 Rodrigues Alves was reelected president of Brazil but died before he could take office.

…the Baron of Rio Branco, José Maria da Silva Paranhos, a diplomat who served most notably as foreign minister (1902–12). On his recommendation, the Brazilian military closed off thousands of miles of inland borders and assumed control of vast disputed territories; consequently, other South American nations yielded to Brazil some…

…da Silva Paranhos, Viscount do Rio Branco, premier during 1871–73, and Joaquim Nabuco de Araujo, a leading abolitionist. Although the children were set free, the measure allowed the parents’ owners to require such children to work until they reached age 21.