André was born in 1838 and his education as an engineer earned him recognition. As a young man, he helped solve the water problem in the city of Rio de Janeiro with a daring project to supply water from nearby springs.

In addition to numerous feats in engineering, he was an important articulator in the struggle for the abolition of slavery. Respected at court, he was one of the founders of the Brazilian Society Against Slavery, among other abolitionist groups. He believed in the inclusion of former slaves in society. He saw agrarian reform carried out in the United States, as an important means of social emancipation.

Inspired by classical liberalism, he understood that the monopoly of land in the hands of landowners, trapped in a slave-owning logic, would never allow full development for the country. That is why he was a great advocate of agrarian reform, in a format capable of including former slaves and immigrants.

Many of his progressive ideas came from contact abroad, especially with the United States and their Homestead Act (profound agrarian reform project in the country). He visited US farms, factories and railroads, and his knowledge of the English language helped him interpret social realities.

Based on this contact, he developed socioeconomic emancipation projects for Brazil which also included recovering unproductive land through reforestation, and a humanised housing programme for the low-income population.

Following the proclamation of the Republic of Brazil, he moved to Lisbon where he worked for two years as a correspondent for British newspaper, The Times. He later moved to Funchal, a small Portuguese town, where he died at the age of sixty.