Floriano Peixoto

For other uses, see Floriano Peixoto (disambiguation).

Floriano Vieira Peixoto (Brazilian Portuguese: [floɾiˈɐ̃nu viˈe(j)ɾɐ pe(j)ˈʃotu]; 30 April 1839 – 29 June 1895) was a Brazilian military officer and politician. A veteran of the Paraguayan War and several other conflicts in Brazil, he served as the second president of Brazil from 1891 to 1894, and previously as vice president in 1891.^[1] Born in Ipioca [pt] (a district in the city of Maceió in the state of Alagoas) and nicknamed the Iron Marshal (Portuguese: Marechal de Ferro),^[2] he was the first vice president of Brazil to have succeeded the president mid-term.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Vieira and the second or paternal family name is Peixoto.

His Excellency Floriano Peixoto
Official portrait, 1891
2nd President of Brazil
In office 23 November 1891 – 15 November 1894
Vice President	None
Preceded by	Deodoro da Fonseca
Succeeded by	Prudente de Morais
1st Vice President of Brazil
In office 26 February 1891 – 23 November 1891
President	Deodoro da Fonseca
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Manuel Vitorino
Judicial offices Justice of the Superior Military Court In office 26 February 1891 – 29 June 1895 Nominated by Deodoro da Fonseca Preceded by Hermes Ernesto da Fonseca Succeeded by Carlos Machado Bittencourt
Legislative offices Senator for Alagoas In office 15 November 1890 – 26 February 1891 Preceded by Seat established by Decree No. 510 of 1890 Succeeded by Messias de Gusmão
Executive offices Minister of War In office 19 April 1890 – 22 January 1891 President Deodoro da Fonseca Preceded by Eduardo Wandenkolk Succeeded by Antônio Falcão da Frota President of Mato Grosso In office 13 September 1884 – 5 October 1885 Preceded by Baron of Batovi Succeeded by José Joaquim Ramos Ferreira
Personal details
Born	Floriano Vieira Peixoto (1839-04-30)30 April 1839 Maceió, Alagoas, Empire of Brazil
Died	29 June 1895(1895-06-29) (aged 56) Barra Mansa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Josina Peixoto ​ (m. 1872)​
Children	8
Parents	Manuel Vieira de Araújo Peixoto (father) Ana Joaquina de Albuquerque (mother)
Alma mater	Military School of Praia Vermelha
Signature
Nickname	"The Iron Marshal"
Military service
Allegiance	Empire of Brazil First Brazilian Republic
Branch/service	Imperial Brazilian Army Brazilian Army
Years of service	1857–1884 1885–1891 1894–1895
Rank	Marshal
Commands	See list 9th Infantry Battalion 3rd Horse Artillery Regiment Pernambuco War Arsenal Command of Arms of Mato Grosso Army Adjutant General Court Garrison Rio de Janeiro Garrison
Battles/wars	Paraguayan War Battle of Tuyutí Battle of Ytororó Battle of Lomas Valentinas Battle of Angostura Federalist Revolution Brazilian Naval Revolt

Election

Monument to Marshal Floriano Peixoto, by Eduardo de Sá, in Downtown Rio de Janeiro

Floriano Peixoto was an army marshal (he was promoted to this rank in 1874) when elected vice president in February 1891, he gained notoriety throughout his life for his strong abolitionist, anti-racist, and anti-corruption stance. In November 1891, he rose to the presidency after the resignation of generalissimo Deodoro da Fonseca, the first president of Brazil. Floriano Peixoto came to the presidency in a difficult period of the new Brazilian Republic, which was in the midst of a general political and economic crisis made worse by the effects of the bursting of the Encilhamento economic bubble, but his policies successfully put an end to the successive economic crises that had plagued the country since 1889 and in a short period of time the economy stabilized and grew again. As vice president, he had also served as the President of the Senate.^[3]

Presidency

His government was marked by several revolutions and immense popular support. Floriano Peixoto defeated a naval officers' rebellion against him in 1893–1894 and the Federalist Revolution in the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná, with the use of strength during the same year to maintain territorial integrity.

His government was marked by an increased centralization of power, personalismo, republicanism, patriotism, nationalism, and for the fervent criticism of monarchy, with the "Florianista" ("Florianismo") cult of personality being the first phenomenon of a favorable political expression towards a republican politician in Brazil.^[4]

Legacy

A stamp depicting Peixoto

He is often referred to as "The Consolidator of the Republic", "The Iron Marshal". He left the presidency on 15 November 1894.

Despite the radically different views on his presidency at the time, later generations of Brazilians would eventually regard his dictatorial rule as necessary and more preferable than a never ending cycle of civil war and unrest.^[5]

Nossa Senhora do Desterro, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, was renamed Florianópolis after the defeat of the federalist rebels in the city by the troops of Marshal Floriano Peixoto at the end of the Federalist Revolution.