João de Andrade Corvo

João de Andrade Corvo (30 January 1824 – 16 February 1890) was a Portuguese statesman, diplomat, writer, and agronomist.

Early life and education

João de Andrade Corvo was born in Torres Novas, in the Kingdom of Portugal on 30 January 1824.

He graduated from the University of Coimbra. As a military engineer, he started in the field of agronomy.

Writing career

Andrade Corvo began writing and publishing his works by 1849. In 1852 in Lisbon, he released the three-act comedy A Tale In The Evening (Spanish: Um Conto Ao Serão).

Agronomist

João spent 1855 publishing a memoir titled Memories on the islands of Madeira and Porto-Santo. It detailed a disease of the vineyards, in the islands of Madeira and Porto-Santo.

In 1863, the second edition of Um Anno Na Corte was published in Coimbra, Portugal.

Political career

Elected to Parliament in 1865, João de Andrade Corvo joined the Portuguese government in 1866 as Minister of Public Works. During this time, he launched his efforts dedicated to Public Works missions in Africa.

Foreign Affairs

Appointed Portugal's Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1871, he collaborated early on with Sir Charles Murray, the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the King of Portugal under Queen Victoria. In 1872, they worked on the draft of the Delagoa Bay (now Maputo Bay) Protocol. By 1873, he was also operating as the provisional Minister and Secretary of the State Office for Marine and Transmarine Affairs.

Marine and Transmarine Affairs

On 20 December 1873 a royal warrant from the State Office abolished the contract emigration of Chinese colonists through the port of Macau. Andrade Corvo's enlightened and philanthropic actions were behind this change, and he shortly thereafter reported on the Coolie-slave trade to the Cortes Generales.