José Plácido de Castro

José Plácido de Castro
1903 portrait of Plácido de Castro
In office 7 August 1903 – 25 February 1904
Preceded by	Joaquim Vitor da Silva
Personal details
Born	(1873-09-09)9 September 1873 São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul, Empire of Brazil
Died	11 August 1908(1908-08-11) (aged 34) Seringal Benfica, Acre, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Occupation	Soldier, politician

José Plácido de Castro (9 September 1873 – 11 August 1908) was a Brazilian soldier, surveyor, rubber producer and politician who led the armed revolt during the Acre War of 1902–03, when the Republic of Acre broke away from Bolivia. He was the president of the state of Acre just before and after it was purchased by Brazil. After the war he became extremely wealthy as a rubber producer, and made many enemies. He was assassinated in 1908. He is considered a hero of Brazil.

José Plácido de Castro was born on 9 September 1873 in São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul. His great grandfather had served in the 1801 war in which the Missões territory was annexed to Rio Grande do Sul and his grandfather had fought in the 1820s Cisplatine War between the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata and the Empire of Brazil. His father, captain Prudente da Fonseca Castro, fought in Uruguay and in the Paraguayan War (1864–70). His mother was Zeferina de Oliveira Castro.

His father died when he was twelve years old, and Plácido de Castro had to work to help support his mother and six brothers. He took various jobs before joining the 1st Regiment of Field Artillery in 1889 at the age of 16. A few months later he enrolled in the Rio Pardo School of Tactics. In 1892 he returned to his regiment as a staff sergeant. The next year he entered the Porto Alegre Military Academy. José Plácido was studying there at the start of the Federalist Revolution in 1893. He considered that the government of Marshal Floriano Peixoto was illegitimate, and direct elections should have been held to choose a new president. He joined the rebels and reached the rank of major. After the revolt was defeated in 1895 he refused the government amnesty and left the army. He stayed for a short time in São Gabriel, then moved to Rio de Janeiro, at that time the capital of Brazil.