Defunct Joaquim Aurélio Barreto Nabuco de Araújo (August 19, 1849 – January 17, 1910) was a Brazilian writer, statesman, and a leading voice in the abolitionist movement of his country.

Born in Brazil, Joaquim was the son of a major political figure in the Brazilian Empire, José Tomás Nabuco (1813–1878), a lifetime senator, counselor of state, and wealthy landowner.

In his youth, Nabuco had a 14-year relationship with financier and philanthropist Eufrásia Teixeira Leite, who held one of the largest fortunes in the world at the time.

At the dedication ceremony the Secretary of State said the following words about him: “One voice that should have spoken here today is silent, but many of us cannot forget or cease to mourn and to honor our dear and noble friend, Joaquim Nabuco.

Ambassador from Brazil, dean of the American diplomatic corps, respected, admired, trusted, loved and followed by all of us, he was a commanding figure in the international movement of which the creation of this building is part…”[5] His best known work is his autobiography Minha formação, published in 1900.