Manuel Alves Branco, 2nd Viscount of Caravelas

His Excellency The Viscount of Caravelas
Portrait by José Correia de Lima, unknown date
Prime Minister of Brazil
In office 22 May 1847 – 8 March 1848
Monarch	Pedro II
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Viscount of Macaé
Further offices held Minister of Justice In office 2 February 1844 – 23 May 1844 Preceded by Honório Hermeto Carneiro Succeeded by Antonio Limpo de Abreu In office 16 January 1835 – 14 October 1835 Preceded by Aureliano Coutinho Succeeded by Manuel Antônio Galvão Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 16 January 1835 – 5 February 1836 Preceded by Aureliano Coutinho (interim) Succeeded by José Inácio Borges (interim) Minister of Finance In office 22 May 1847 – 8 March 1848 Preceded by Antônio Francisco Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Succeeded by Viscount of Abaeté In office 2 February 1844 – 2 May 1846 Preceded by Joaquim Francisco Viana Succeeded by Antônio Francisco Cavalcanti de Albuquerque In office 1 September 1839 – 18 May 1840 Preceded by Cândido Batista de Oliveira Succeeded by José Antônio da Silva Maia In office 16 May 1837 – 19 September 1837 Preceded by Manuel do Nascimento Castro e Silva Succeeded by Miguel Calmon du Pin e Almeida Parliament offices 1853–1855 Senator for Bahia 1850–1852 Senator for Bahia 1848–1849 Senator for Bahia 1845–1847 Senator for Bahia 1843–1844 Senator for Bahia 1838–1841 Senator for Bahia 1837–1837 Senator for Bahia 1830–1833 General Deputy for Bahia
Personal details
Born	(1797-06-07)7 June 1797 Salvador, Bahia, State of Brazil
Died	13 July 1855(1855-07-13) (aged 58) Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Coimbra
Occupation	Politician
Awards	Order of the Cross
Signature

Manuel Alves Branco (Portuguese: [manuˈɛw ˈawviz ˈbɾɐ̃ku]), the 2nd Viscount of Caravelas (7 June 1797 – 13 July 1855) was a Brazilian politician, economist, and magistrate during the Empire of Brazil (1822–1889). He held the positions of general deputy, minister of justice, minister of finance, senator and was also the first de jure prime-minister of Brazil.

Born in Salvador in 1797, Alves Branco left Brazil to study at the University of Coimbra in 1815, where he received a degree in Law and Natural Sciences in 1823. After returning to Brazil in 1824, he served as judge in Salvador, Santo Amaro and finally Rio de Janeiro. He began his political career in 1830 after being elected general deputy for Bahia to the General Assembly's 2nd legislature (1830–1833), joining the Liberal Party.

During his political career, Alves Branco was responsible for the introduction of several important measures. He was the main drafter of Brazil's first Criminal Procedure Code [pt] and, together with José Bonifácio, was also behind the country's first legal initiative towards women's suffrage. As minister of finance, he introduced a new customs tariff in 1844 with the primary aim of increasing Brazil's revenue and reducing the fiscal deficit in the country's trade balance. The tariff, which became known as Alves Branco Tariff, led to a relative surge in industrialization in Brazil. He died in Niterói in 1855.