Manuel de Oliveira Lima

Manuel de Oliveira Lima was a historian and diplomat whose early life in Lisbon gave him access to Portuguese archives and Brazil’s representatives abroad. Born in Recife in 1867, he entered the diplomatic service in 1890 and subsequently worked in Berlin. In 1896 he became first secretary in Washington under Salvador de Mendonça. Historical research and newspaper writing accompanied these assignments. ¹

Later postings took Oliveira Lima to London, Japan, Venezuela, and Brussels. His books addressed Brazilian independence, colonial literature, and relations with the wider world; Dom João VI no Brasil became a central work in his historical writing. A founding member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, he was also a pointed critic of diplomatic practices. His proposed London appointment met political opposition in the Senate, and he retired in 1913. ¹

He returned to Washington for a different project: a permanent research library. In 1916 he offered his collection to the Catholic University of America on conditions that it retain his name, remain together, and be directed by him. He and his wife Flora settled in Washington in 1921 to organize 40,000 volumes together with manuscripts, maps, photographs, and artworks. ²

With Flora and librarian Ruth Holmes, he opened the Oliveira Lima Library to the public in 1924. He also taught international law at Catholic University, following earlier teaching and lectures at Stanford, Harvard, and Lisbon. He died in Washington in March 1928 and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. ²