Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales

Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales descended from a rich family of coffee planters. He studied at the Faculty of Law in São Paulo and graduated in 1863. Sales was elected a deputy of São Paulo provincial legislature of 1868-1869. A signatory of the Republican Manifesto (1870), Sales became one of the founders of the Paulista Republican Party (Partido Republicano Paulista, PRP) organized at the Convention of Itu in 1873. He was again elected a deputy of the provincial legislature of 1882-1883 and 1888-1889. In 1885 Sales along with Prudente de Morais was elected to the imperial Chamber of Deputies dissolved in 1888. In the last years of the Empire, he ascended to the presidency of the PRP Central Committee. A staunch republican, Sales was called by Deodoro da Fonseca to assume the office of state secretary for justice (18 Nov 1889 - 22 Jan 1891) in the Provisional Government. He participated in the work of the National Constituent Congress (1890-1891) and held a seat in the Senate (1890-1896). Elected President of the State of São Paulo (1 May 1896 - 31 Oct 1897), Sales resigned the office to stand for the elections of President of the Republic in 1898. Supported by the coffee oligarchy, Sales was the second São Paulo politician to be elected President of the Republic of the United States of Brazil. Upon assuming the presidency (15 Nov 1898), Sales took steps to modify the system of government in favor of a more powerful presidency. Before taking office, he visited Europe to obtain so-called "funding loan" to ensure the payment of Brazil's foreign debts. Implementation of this program included some unpopular financial measures such as introduction of paper money and increase of taxes (1899). As a result, the deflation affected trade, credit and two main exports, coffee and rubber. In his internal policy, Sales gained the support of local national guard in the states and created the commission for verification of powers. Besides supervising the elections, the commission helped the federal government ensure favorable environment for election of pro-governmental candidates. During a long trip of Sales to Argentina (17 Oct 1900 - 8 Nov 1900), vice president Francisco de Assis Rosa e Silva temporarily exercised the duties of president. In spite of decreasing popularity, Sales managed to restore order in the national finance. After the end of his term as president, he was again elected senator for São Paulo (1909-1912) and was named minister plenipotentiary to Argentina (1912). [2]