Benjamin Franklin Torreão de Barros

Benjamin Franklin Torreão de Barros trained in law at Recife and entered diplomatic service, including an attaché appointment in Uruguay. In December 1879 he asked Secretary of State William Evarts to extend American protections against counterfeiting beyond foreign banknotes to treasury notes, bonds, and other government securities. He also sought controls on the printing of such securities without the issuing government's permission. ^{1, 2}

Torreão de Barros was also a point of contact for Brazil's planned mission to China. In January 1880 Evarts replied that the American representative there would be instructed to welcome the Brazilian mission and lend it moral support. His later career included service as chargé d'affaires in Venezuela from 1881 to 1885. ^{3, 4}