Ernesto Ferreira França

Ernesto Ferreira França (1804–1872) was a magistrate and parliamentarian before his short American mission. Born in Bahia, he entered Coimbra’s law faculty in 1819 and, after returning to Brazil, became a judge in São Paulo in 1824. He subsequently served in Recife and on appellate courts, while representing Pernambuco, Bahia, and Minas Gerais in the imperial legislature at different points in his career. ¹

Appointed minister resident in the United States in March 1838, Ferreira França remained until 1839, when Pedro Rodrigues Fernandes Chaves succeeded him. In 1844 he became minister of foreign affairs and acted as Brazil’s plenipotentiary for the marriage treaty of Princess Januária and the Count of Aquila. His political interests extended beyond diplomacy: the Historical and Geographical Institute’s account associates him with federalism, an international congress of nations, abolition of the death penalty and clerical celibacy, and freedom for children born to enslaved mothers. ^{1, 2}

Ferreira França returned to the judiciary at its highest level when he joined the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in May 1857. His brother Cornélio also served on that court. He died in Rio de Janeiro on 14 May 1872. ^{1, 2}