Adelaide de Morais Barros (17 September 18488 November 1911) was the wife of

Prudente de Morais Prudente José de Morais Barros (4 October 1841 – 3 December 1902), often referred to as Prudente de Morais, was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the third president of Brazil from 1894 to 1898. Morais was elected in 1894, bein ...

, the third president of Brazil and the country's first civilian president. She was the "first lady" of the country between 1894 and 1898.

Early life

Adelaide Benvinda da Silva Gordo de Morais Barros was born in Santos, in the province of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

on 17 September 1848. She was the daughter of a lieutenant colonel of the Brazilian National Guard, Antônio José da Silva Gordo and his second wife, Ana Brandina de Barros. Through her mother, Adelaide was a distant descendant of several European aristocrats and monarchs. Her father owned a large farm near Santos, and was a major coffee producer and a leading political figure. Among her half-brothers was the politician .

Marriage and family

Barros met Prudente de Morais in her home city of

Piracicaba Piracicaba ( ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It serves as the main city ...

in São Paulo, where he had become a lawyer. They married in her parents' home on 28 May 1866, with the nuptials being a major social event of the time, partly because it was a double ceremony, with her twin sister, Maria Inês, marrying, the brother of Prudente de Morais, who was later elected as a senator. For Morais, who was already an ambitious politician, the marriage to Adelaide provided an entrance into the political elite of São Paulo. The couple had nine children. One of the daughters died at the age of 11 and another when she was just one year old. Barros also raised the illegitimate son of Prudente de Morais, born before they were married. Barros was described by newspapers as a "virtuous" mother and wife who was "sweet and serene". Her husband became president on 15 November 1894. Prudente de Morais ended the so-called "republic of the sword" and moved fellow coffee producers into a central position of power in the country. As did others in her family, Barros became friendly with the American

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

missionary Martha Watts, who founded, among other institutions, the, where the children of Barros studied.

Death

Her husband died in December 1902. Her own poor health led her to seek medical treatment in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany, where she died on 8 November 1911. Her body was returned to Brazil and buried in the Saudade Cemetery of Piracicaba.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morais Barros, Adelaide de 1848 births 1911 deaths People from Santos, São Paulo First ladies of Brazil First ladies of São Paulo (state) Brazilian people of Portuguese descent