He was enrolled at the Naval School on 25 January 1852 and became a midshipman in 1854. In December 1858, he was promoted to second lieutenant and professor of the 4th year course at the Naval School. He was a precursor in hydrography and gave his first course in this subject at the Marine Academy of Rio de Janeiro in 1858. He then published the first treatise on hydrography in Portuguese.
During the Paraguayan War, commanding the gunboat Araguari [pt],[1] he was one of the heroes of the bombardment of Corrientes, occupied by the defenders of Paraguay. Then, on 11 June 1865, he won the officer's medal of the Imperial Order of the Southern Cross for his actions in the naval battle of the Riachuelo. On 13 and 14 July 1865, in new battles, he managed to set fire to the Paraguayan steamer Paraguarí [pt], which had run aground. On 28 November 1865, he chased the Paraguayan steamer Pira-Guirá, forced it to run aground and seized it.
On 17 January 1874, the group entered the course of the Javary River. On 15 March 1874, they found the source and set the boundary marker between Peru and Brazil. He was the only Brazilian to return from this expedition in July 1874. Even his brother Carlos von Hoonholtz who accompanied him died of beriberi. This expedition earned him the title of Baron of Teffé.[3]
He married Maria Luiza Dodsworth on 28 March 1868. From this marriage 4 children were born:
Nair de Teffé von Hoonholtz, painter, singer and pianist, having been notably the first female cartoonist in the world. Married to Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, she was First Lady of Brazil from 1913 to 1914.[6]
Álvaro de Teffé von Hoonholtz, Secretary of the Presidency of the United States of Brazil.
Oscar de Teffé von Hoonholtz, Brazilian Ambassador. His son Manuel de Teffé [pt], became Brazilian ambassador and race car driver. His great-grandson, son of Manuel, was the actor Anthony Steffen (1929–2004).
Compendio de hydrographia: approvado e adoptado pelo Conselho de Instrucção da Escola de Marinha, com approvação do governo. Rio de Janeiro: Typographia Perseverança, 1864.
Memórias do Almirante Barão de Teffé a Batalha Naval do Riachuelo: contada à família em carta íntima poucos dias depois d'esse feito pelo 1° Tenente Antônio Luiz von Hoonholtz. Rio de Janeiro: Garnier Irmãos, 1865.
Arrasamento da laje submarina existente na entrada do Porto de Santos, Província de S. Paulo. Rio de Janeiro: Typographia Nacional, 1877.
Relatorio dos trabalhos e estudos realizados na Bahia de Antonina. Rio de Janeiro: Typographia Nacional, 1877.
Província do Paraná: demonstração da superioridade do caminho de ferro de Antonina a Curitiba perante o Instituto Polytechnico Brasileiro. Rio de Janeiro: Tipografia de G. Leuzinger & Filhos, 1879.
Questão da abertura da Barra de Cabo Frio. Rio de Janeiro: J. De Oliveira, 1881.
Defeza do Barão de Teffé na questão Cirne Lima. Manaus: Tipografia de Gregorio Joze de Moraes, 1874.
Em Terra e no Mar. 1912.
Grande data a comemorar: 24 de julho de 1868. Petrópolis: Vozes, 1921.
Brasil berço da Sciencia Aeronáutica. London: Mary Frear Keeler, 1924.
Empire of Brazil
First Brazilian Republic
Imperial Brazilian Navy
Brazilian Navy
Officer of the Imperial Order of the Cross
Officer of the Order of the Rose
Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of St. Benedict of Avis
