The mathematics teacher who was prime minister – 11/07/2023 – Marcelo Viana

His son was a baron and, as patron of Brazilian diplomacy, he is one of the most famous figures in our history. The father, despite having become viscount and providing even more illustrious services to the nation, is today unknown to the general public.

A successful politician, the Viscount of Rio Branco performed several roles in the Army and administration, culminating in the presidency of the council of ministers, which he held from 1871 to 1875. This was one of the longest-running governments of the Second Empire, also distinguished by the promulgation of the Free Womb Law. But by profession the Viscount was actually… a mathematics teacher!

José Maria da Silva Paranhos (1819–1880), Viscount of Rio Branco, was born in Salvador (BA). His father, a wealthy Portuguese merchant and landowner, remained on Portugal’s side at the time of Independence, which led to his economic ruin.

At the age of 16, young Paranhos went to study in Rio de Janeiro: he entered the Navy Academy, but soon switched to the Military School (EM), the main higher education institution in the country, the only one that offered advanced training in mathematics. To support himself, he gave private lessons for nine years until graduating as a military engineer in 1845. The following year, he became a doctor in mathematical sciences, this being the first occasion on which the EM awarded doctoral degrees.

Through journalism, he soon entered politics, but remained a teacher until 1875. Even after he left the classroom, he never forgot education issues.

In 1848, vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro acting as interim governor of the province, approved a project that restructured primary education and created secondary education, as an alternative to traditional secondary education, which aimed only to prepare for entry into higher education. . It would have expanded access to education for less privileged classes, but required resources for the construction of schools and the training and hiring of teachers, which did not materialize. It stayed on paper.

In 1858, EM was divided into two institutions, of which the Central School also accepted non-military students. Under the influence of the Viscount, in 1874, the Central School migrated to the strictly civil sphere, giving rise to the Polytechnic School, the oldest engineering school in the Americas and one of the first in the world.

This initiative would later continue with the creation of polytechnic schools in São Paulo, Recife and other cities. With them, a new phase opened for higher mathematics education in our country.

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