Positivists and republicans: The professors of the School of Engineering in Porto Alegre between political activity and public administration (1896-1930)

Abstract

The history of public administration in Southern Brazil during the so-called "First Republic" includes an institution of higher education, the School of Engineering in Porto Alegre, that was founded in 1896 and provided a major part of the cadre of technicians of state departments and agencies in the following decades, particularly of the state's Department of Public Works. In this paper the author (1) briefly discusses the politicalinstitutional scenario in Southern Brazil during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, then (2) sketches the process of organization of the School of Engineering in Porto Alegre, and finally (3) presents some aspects of the professional, administrative and political career of the School's original group of professors and its first graduates.