His mother's family had acquired the farm of Santa Genebra, in Campinas, and after her death, young Geraldo de Resende decided to settle there in 1870.

He was elected councilman from 1883 to 1886, president of the local chapter of the pro-monarchic Conservative Party, and state congressman by the 7th District of São Paulo in 1886.

By his own request, the title was changed by another decree dated 19 June of the same year to "Baron Geraldo of Resende".

Unfortunately, an economic crisis created many financial difficulties for the Baron, who had no other means of support, and he had to sell the Santa Genebra farm, dying just before it, on 1 October 1907.

In 1981 it was donated to the municipality of Campinas, and in 1985 became an area of relevant ecological interest named the Mata de Santa Genebra and jointly administered by the city and the Federal ICMBio agency.