Geraldo Ribeiro, Baron of Geraldo de Resende

Who was Geraldo Ribeiro, Baron of Geraldo de Resende?

Geraldo Ribeiro de Sousa Resende, the Baron of Geraldo de Rezende was a Brazilian aristocrat of the Empire of Brazil, farmer and politician of the city of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

He was born in Rio de Janeiro, on 19 April 1847, a son to the aristocratic and military family of the Marquis and Marquess of Valença. He studied in Paris, France. His mother's family had acquired the Farm of Santa Genebra, in Campinas, and after her death, young Geraldo de Rezende decided to settle there in 1870. The farm was semi-ruined and worthless, but with characteristic vigor and entrepreneurship, he transformed and expanded it into one of the most productive farms of the region, with extensive sugarcane and coffee plantations. The Baron was known for his modernity regarding the use of new methods and machinery in agriculture and was one of the founders of the Club da Lavoura in 1878, a club of wealthy and progressive farmers. In 1876 he married D. Maria Amélia Barbosa de Oliveira.

Inevitably, the Club became politically influential soon after, and many of its members involved themselves in local and state conservative politics, so Barão Geraldo de Rezende was no exception.