PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Benjamin Constant
Benjamin Constant
Minister of War
	In office; 15 November 1889 – 12 March 1890
President	Deodoro da Fonseca
Preceded by	Viscount of Maracaju
Succeeded by	Eduardo Wandenkolk
Secretary of State of Public Instruction, Posts and Telegraphs
	In office; 19 April 1890 – 21 January 1891
President	Deodoro da Fonseca
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	João Barbalho (interim)
Personal details
Born	18 October 1836; Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil
Died	22 January 1891 (aged 54); Rio de Janeiro, Neutral Municipality, Brazil
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Maria Joaquina Bittencourt Costa (m. 1863)
Children	8
Parents	Leopoldo Henrique Botelho de Magalhães (father); Bernardina Joaquina da Silva Guimarães (mother);
Education	Praia Vermelha Military School
Military service
Allegiance	Empire of Brazil (until 1889); United States of Brazil
Branch/service	Imperial Brazilian Army; Brazilian Army
Years of service	1852-1891
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	Paraguayan War

Benjamin Constant Botelho de Magalhães (18 October 1836 – 22 January 1891) was a Brazilian military officer and political thinker. Primarily a positivist, influenced heavily by Auguste Comte, he was the founder of the positivist movement in Brazil (Sociedade Positivista do Brasil, Brazilian Positivist Society), and later this led to his republican views. He left the Brazilian Positivist Society because of internal disagreements, but remained an ardent pupil of Comte until the end of his life.

Benjamin Constant was born in Niterói. He had a difficult childhood and attempted suicide at the age of 12. He served in the Paraguayan War, and had a large family. He felt underpaid and unhappy as a soldier. An intellectual at heart, he was a great supporter of Comte's Religion of Humanity.

His republican views led him to found the Clube Militar (or Military Club), with Deodoro da Fonseca, in May 1887.^[1] It was based in the Praia Vermelha Military School, and, shortly before his death, helped to organize a coup to overthrew Emperor Pedro II and establish a republic.

The Brazilian town of Benjamin Constant, Amazonas, near the Amazon River and the Peruvian border, was named after him.

He was considered the founder of the Republic in the Constitution of 1891, having died earlier the same year in Rio de Janeiro, aged 54.