 As one of the largest landowners in Rio Grande do Sul , and now a war hero , Porto Alegre believed that he could win a senatorial seat in 1852 , but his candidacy was a failure . From a list containing the names of the candidates who had received the most votes , Pedro II chose one of Porto Alegre 's rivals as senator . During his campaign , Porto Alegre founded and became head of the " Progressive @-@ Liberal Party " , a provincial coalition drawn from members of both national political parties : the Liberal Party and the Party of Order ( then increasingly known as the Conservative Party ) . His personal life greatly improved after he married Bernardina Soares de Paiva , who was thirty @-@ three years his junior , on 11 June 1855 . Their marriage was happy and produced two daughters , Maria Bernardina in 1860 and Clara in 1873 . Between the death of his first wife and his second marriage , he had a daughter named Maria Manuela Marques , whom he legitimized . Porto Alegre petitioned for , and was granted , a military retirement on 7 July 1856 and was raised to lieutenant general , the second highest rank in the imperial army . 
