Samuel Wallace MacDowell III (

Olinda Olinda () is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capital. It has a population of 393,115 people, covers ...

, May 26, 1846 – Paris, August 16, 1908) was a

Brazilian military The Brazilian Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas Brasileiras, ) are the unified military forces of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Consisting of three service branches, it comprises the Brazilian Army (including the Brazilian Army Aviati ...

man,

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

, politician, journalist and a leading voice in the abolitionist movement of Brazil.

Biography

Early life and education

Son of a homonym father, Samuel Wallace MacDowell (graduated from Olinda Law School) and Maria Vivência Clara de Sá, was the grandson of a homonym Scottish merchant and attaché to the British empire in the State of Pará. He was orphaned by his father and mother, one year and eight months old along with his sister, and taken to Pará to be raised by his grandmother Marie Checks, who was originally from

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

. In 1860 he was assigned to the Third Artillery Battalion, however due to health problems, he could not continue his career and joined the Faculty of Law of Recife, while teaching in local colleges. He graduated in 1867, returning to

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in ...

as a magistrate. He soon joined the Liberal Party, in addition to working as a journalist in the ''Jornal Amazonas'' and in the ''Liberal do Pará'', and he also founded the ''A Regeneração''.

Family

In 1869, MacDowell married Ana Augusta da Gama e Costa, daughter of Francisco Antônio da Costa. They had nine children: Anna, who married the industrialist Carlos Brício da Costa; Samuel, layer, married to Dolores do Rêgo Barros; Afonso, doctor, married to Emília de La Rocque; José Maria, layer and journalist, married to Georgina Cunha, Francisco, priest; Maria Vivência, married with magistrate and deputy Antônio dos Passos Miranda; Frederico Luis, doctor, married to Síliva Paranhos; Defina and Sara, both sisters in the

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament ( la, Congregatio Sanctissimi Sacramenti), commonly known as the Sacramentinos is a Catholic Clerical Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right for men (priests, deacons, and brothers) founded by St. ...

in Paris.

Career

He was elected provincial

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

in 1881, then in the Conservative Party, and then general deputy between 1886 and 1889. MacDowell got appointed as Minister of Navy in the cabinet of Baron of Cotegipe in 1886 when the Naval School was established. After 11 months he was transferred to become

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a Ministry (government department), ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of ju ...

. MacDowell was awarded on June 12, 1886 the title of Counsellor of the Empire by

Dom Pedro II Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Emp ...

. MacDowell appointed the first commission to deal with the creation of a Brazil's

Civil Code A civil code is a codification of private law relating to property, family, and obligations. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure. In some jurisdictions with a civil code, a number of the core ...

. MacDowell also provided basic reforms in Brazil's correctional and detention facilities, in addition to having defended Bishop

Antônio de Macedo Costa Archbishop Antônio de Macedo Costa (7 Aug 1830 – 20 Mar 1891) was Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia and previously Bishop of Pará. He had been present at the First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, c ...

during the

Religious Question The Religious Question ('' pt, Questão Religiosa'') was a crisis in the 1870s between the Catholic church and the state apparatus of the Brazilian Empire. It led to the imprisonment of two bishops and contributed to the downfall of the government ...

in the 1870s. He was invited by

Ruy Barbosa Ruy Barbosa de Oliveira (5 November 1849 – 1 March 1923), also known as Rui Barbosa, was a Brazilian polymath, diplomat, writer, jurist, and politician. Born in Salvador, Bahia, and a distinguished and staunch defender of civil liberties and ...

and Lauro Sodré to participate in Brazil's proclamation of the republic. MacDowell declined, declaring himself ''defeated, but not convinced''. After the fall of the Brazilian empire, MacDowell went to Belém do Pará to deal with personal and family affairs. MacDowell assisted in the elaboration of the state's constitution, and was president of the commission responsible for establishing the boundaries between the state of

Pará Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana a ...

and the new state of

Amazonas Amazonas may refer to: Places * Amazon River, known as ''Amazonas'' in Spanish and Portuguese *Amazonas (Brazilian state), Brazil * Amazonas Department, Colombia * Department of Amazonas, Peru * Amazonas (Venezuelan state), Venezuela Other uses * ...

. MacDowell left Brazil in self-exile with his wife Ana Augusta and their three younger children. MacDowell established himself in Paris where he lived a frugal lifestyle, giving classes to provide for his family's livelihood. While in Paris he maintained his bond of friendship and loyalty he always had to Dom Pedro II and the

Brazilian imperial family The Brazilian Imperial Family (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889, after the proclamation of independence by Prince Pedro of Braga ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDowell, Samuel Wallace 1846 births 1908 deaths People from Olinda 19th-century Brazilian judges Brazilian journalists Brazilian male journalists 19th-century Brazilian military personnel Pará politicians Ministers of Justice of Brazil Conservative Party (Brazil) politicians Brazilian emigrants to France