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Antonio Joaquim de Moura Andrade: Brazil's 'King of Cattle' and City Founder

A trader from Sao Paulo state became the 'King of Cattle' by turning forest and river country into ranches, roads, a river port and two cities.

Who was Antonio Joaquim de Moura Andrade?

Antonio Joaquim de Moura Andrade was a Brazilian businessman and rancher whose nickname, Rei do Gado or 'King of Cattle,' reflects his influence in the cattle country of western Sao Paulo and Mato Grosso. A scholarly article in the journal Bilros, a study of the colonization of Nova Andradina, gives his birth date as 22 December 1889 and names his parents as Joaquim Teodoro de Andrade and Maria Julia Dores Andrade. He married Guiomar Soares.

Sources differ on his name: the Nova Andradina page on Wikipedia calls him Paulo Antonio Joaquim de Moura Andrade. His death year of 1962 is the reported date and was not confirmed by the pages opened here.

From grain trader to land company

In 1913 he founded a trading firm, Collettes, Moura & Cia, with Seraphim Collettes and Guilherme Moura, initially dealing in cereals. In 1915 the company began exporting coffee. In 1917 it bought shares of the former Fazenda Barra do Tietê in the Aracatuba area of Sao Paulo state.

His brother Octavio Andrade joined in 1931, and the firm became Moura, Andrade & Cia in 1935 and then Moura Andrade & Cia after Collettes left in 1937.

Colonizing Andradina and the Mato Grosso frontier

Deforestation and colonization of Andradina, in Sao Paulo state, began in 1938. The company also bought part of the Gleba Sao Bento near Bataypora in Mato Grosso and later the Caapora farm, which became Fazenda Primavera. The Wikipedia entry on Nova Andradina adds that he bought the Baile farm in 1951 from the Barbosa Martins family.

The company reportedly paid for about 350 kilometers of road through forest, rivers and floodplain, and built a river port on the Parana about 19 kilometers from Fazenda Primavera to connect Mato Grosso with Sao Paulo.

Founding Nova Andradina

A road linking Primavera and Baile began in 1956. In 1957 work on the new city started, and it took the name of Andradina in Sao Paulo. The company emancipated the town in 1958. Nova Andradina was elevated to municipality on 20 December 1958 and had a population of 45,585 in 2020, with farming, mainly cattle and grain, as its primary industries.

Lots were reportedly sold without a down payment or guarantor on long terms, with the article giving a total of 42,339 hectares.

Labor, conflict and the costs of colonization

The Bilros article records conflict with local residents, including the Ofaie Indigenous people, and with squatters and land grabbers. It also reports, largely on oral testimony, that workers were bound to three-year contracts and could not leave until debts were paid, and that foremen treated them harshly.

These accounts rely heavily on interviews and should be read as testimony, not settled findings.

The Key to Moura Andrade's Success

He began as a trader and moved into land, using his own capital to build the roads and port that made remote country sellable. Cattle appear in the record chiefly as the economy of the places he settled.

The sources do not document his herd sizes, so his title is described rather than measured.

  • Start with trade: his firm began in cereals and coffee before moving into land.
  • Partner early: Collettes, his brother and a business partner shaped the company.
  • Build the infrastructure: private roads and a river port tied the frontier to markets.
  • Sell on easy terms: lots were sold without down payment, which drew settlers.
  • Choose fertile ground: Primavera and Baile were picked for their soil.
  • Face the costs: worker debt contracts and conflicts with Indigenous and squatter groups are recorded.

The song and the title

A blog account of the Tiao Carreiro and Pardinho song about the coffee king and the Rei do Gado, a chess.com blog post on the song's story, places the 'King of Gado' as living in Andradina in Sao Paulo, but it does not name him, so the link is suggestive, not proven.

For more cattle history, see farm.FM's ranching section and a farm.FM story about Brazilian cattle country.

Timeline

  1. 1889Born on 22 December
  2. 1913Founds Collettes, Moura & Cia with partners, trading cereals
  3. 1915Company begins exporting coffee
  4. 1917Buys shares of Fazenda Barra do Tiete near Aracatuba
  5. 1938Deforestation and colonization of Andradina begin
  6. 1951Acquires the Baile farm in Mato Grosso
  7. 1958Nova Andradina emancipated, 20 December
  8. 1962Reported death

Frequently asked questions

Who was Moura Andrade?

Antonio Joaquim de Moura Andrade (1889-1962) was a Brazilian businessman and cattleman nicknamed Rei do Gado, who colonized Andradina in Sao Paulo and Nova Andradina in Mato Grosso do Sul.

What does Rei do Gado mean?

Rei do Gado is Portuguese for King of Cattle, the nickname given to Moura Andrade for his influence in the cattle and land business.

When was Nova Andradina founded?

Work on the city began in 1957, and the company emancipated the town in 1958. It was elevated to municipality on 20 December 1958.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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