Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, Viscount of Mauá

Irineu Evangelista de Sousa (Portuguese pronunciation: [iɾiˈnew ivɐ̃ʒeˈliʃtɐ dʒi ˈsowzɐ]), the Viscount of Mauá ([viʃˈkõdʒi dʒi mɐwˈa], 1813–1889) was a Brazilian entrepreneur, industrialist, banker and politician. Born to a family of small estancieiros (ranchers), Sousa became one of the world's richest men; by 1867, his wealth was larger than the annual budget of the Brazilian Empire. He was called the Rothschild of the South American continent by the New York Times in 1871.[1] He received the titles of baron (1854) and visconde com grandeza (viscount with greatness) (1874) of Mauá. A pioneer in several areas of the economy of Brazil, one of his greatest achievements was to start the construction of the Mauá Railroad, the first railroad in Brazil.

"Visconde de Mauá" redirects here. For the Resende district, see Visconde de Mauá, Resende.
The Viscount of Mauá
Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, c. 1870
General Deputy for Rio Grande do Sul
In office
24 December 1872 – 22 April 1873
In office
27 August 1855 – 2 August 1866
Personal details
Born(1813-12-28)28 December 1813
Arroio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Died21 October 1889(1889-10-21) (aged 76)
Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil
Spouse(s)
Maria Joaquina de Sousa Machado
​
​
(m. 1841)​
Children18
Parents
  • João Evangelista de Ávila e Sousa (father)
  • Mariana de Jesus Batista de Carvalho (mother)
Occupation
  • Business magnate
  • investor
Networth$60 billion USD (2009 dollars)
Sousa's likeness on a 200 réis coin from 1937.

At his peak, Sousa controlled eight of the country's ten largest companies (the remaining two were state-owned); his banking interests stretched over to Britain, France, the United States and Argentina. Mauá also founded the first bank in Uruguay (Banco Mauá Y Cia).

Sousa, who established the modern Banco do Brasil, is credited with financing much of the Brazilian economy activity in the 19th century, particularly in coffee plantation, and with the construction of the first railroads, shipyard and cast iron metalwork in the country. Sousa commissioned the first telegraphic submarine cable connecting South America to Europe, developed commercial transportation via steamboats on the Amazon and Guaíba rivers, and installed the first gas-fueled street lights in the city of Rio de Janeiro, then Brazil's capital. His fortunes turned around with the decay of the Empire after the Paraguayan War, by the time he died, Sousa had lost most of his wealth.

Legacy and honors

At a time in which Brazil was dominated by government-protected landowners who prioritized exports in a slave-based economy, Sousa defended free enterprise, liberalism, industrialization and the abolition of slavery. After his death, he was given several honors and acknowledgements:

Further reading
  • Marchant, Anyda (1965). Viscount Mauá and the empire of Brazil: a biography of Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, 1813–1889. University of California Press.

References
  1. "SOUTH AMERICA.; The Great Coffee Product of Brazil-- New-York Losing the Trade-- Brazilian Emancipation-- Railway Loans and Amazonian Navigation Contracts-- General News". New York Times. 22 August 1871. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
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