Rio Branco, José Maria da Silva Paranhos, barão do

Rio Branco, José Maria da Silva Paranhos, barão do

(zho͝ozĕ` mərē`ə də sēl`və pərä`nyo͝os bərouN` do͝o rē`o͝o bräng`ko͝o), 1845–1912, Brazilian statesman and diplomat. He was consul in Liverpool from 1876 to 1893, when he was appointed to plead Brazil's case in the border dispute with Argentina arbitrated by President Grover Cleveland. After winning his case in 1895, he worked on the dispute with French Guiana over the territory of AmapáAmapá
, state (1991 pop. 373,994), 53,013 sq mi (137,304 sq km), extreme N Brazil, bounded on the N by French Guiana and the Atlantic Ocean. Macapá is the capital. Fishing is an important activity in Amapá; nuts and timber are produced.
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 and again won (1900) a substantial victory. He served briefly as minister to Berlin and returned to Brazil in 1902 to become minister of foreign affairs. In this post, which he held until his death, he concluded some 30 treaties of arbitration.

Bibliography

See study by E. F. Burns (1966).