Na rua principal de San Jose ainda existe o Alcantara Building, prédio erguido pelos de Saisset
Há 193 anos, em 28 de agosto de 1829, às seis da tarde, nascia em Paris Pedro de Alcantara Brazileiro de Saisset, filho do Imperador D. Pedro I e da modista Henriette Josephine Clémence de Saisset, esposa do comerciante francês Pierre de Saisset. Quando criança, chegou a ter contato com o pai biológico, que lhe foi apresentado como “amigo”. O duque de Bragança morreu quando o filho tinha cinco anos, mas o incluiu em seu testamento. Em valores de hoje, segundo atualização feita pelo Ibmec, a parte de Pedro na herança foi de R$ 1.084.000,00, quantia recebida por Pierre, em 1841.
Pedro foi educado em um dos melhores estabelecimentos de ensino da França, o lycee Louis-le-Grand. Aos 18 anos, tentou a vida no Brasil, onde deveria tocar os negócios da família, na Rua do Ouvidor, mas acabou optando por viver na Califórnia. Mudou-se para lá em 1849. Em San Jose, com trabalho árduo, construiu boas relações na comunidade local, tornou-se um negociante de sucesso e casou-se com a viúva Maria de Jesus Palomares de Sunol, carinhosamente chamada de Jesusita.
Apesar de não ter estabelecido relação próxima com a família imperial brasileira, o álbum de fotografias dos de Saisset, na Califórnia, guarda imagens das princesas Januária e Francisca de Joinville. O conde d’Áquila, marido de Januária, frequentava a casa dos tios de Pedro, em Paris, e se incumbia de transmitir-lhes notícias dos Bragança. Chegou, inclusive, a presenteá-los com algumas fotografias, incluindo a sua própria, que também está no mesmo álbum dos de Saisset.
Com a esposa Jesusita, vinda de família influente na política californiana, Pedro teve quatro filhos e, no século XIX, foi um pai bem à frente do seu tempo. Ao contrário dos costumes da época, fazia questão de conversar com cada um, levava-os para o trabalho, mesmo as meninas, jamais exigiu que nenhum deles se casasse ou determinou o que deveriam estudar, mas sempre os apoiava nas escolhas que faziam.
Os meninos escolheram carreiras no mundo das artes. Um se tornou pintor. O outro tentou, sem muito sucesso, ser músico. Tocava muito bem violino e piano mas, assim como o avô D. Pedro I, tinha um notável descontrole para o assunto mulheres. Entrava e saía de relacionamentos com uma certa frequência. E essa perturbação amorosa acabou impedindo-o de levar a carreira com a devida seriedade.
Em San Jose, Pedro de Saisset é lembrado como empresário e visionário, que trouxe luz elétrica para a cidade e contribuiu para posicioná-la como grande centro comercial e de investimento na Califórnia. Até hoje, na rua principal, existe o Alcantara Building, prédio erguido pela família de Saisset. Em março de 2022, o imóvel estava vago para aluguel.
Today is Pedro's birthday
San Jose's main street still holds the Alcantara Building, which was once owned by the de Saisset family
Pedro de Alcantara Brazileiro de Saisset was born in Paris, on today’s date (28 August), some 193 years ago, at six in the afternoon. He was the son of Emperor D. Pedro I and the dressmaker Henriette Josephine Clémence de Saisset, wife of the French merchant Pierre de Saisset. As a child, he came into contact with his biological father, who was introduced to him as a “friend”. The Duke of Bragança died when his son was five years old, but included him in his will. In today's values, according to an update made by Ibmec, Pedro's share in the inheritance was R$ 1,084,000.00, an amount received by Pierre, his step father, in 1841.
Pedro was educated at one of the best schools in France, the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. At age 18, he tried life in Brazil, where he was supposed to run the family business, located at Rua do Ouvidor, in Rio de Janeiro, but ended up choosing to live in California to where he moved in 1849. In San Jose, with hard work, he built good relationships in the local community, became a successful businessman and married the widow Maria de Jesus Palomares de Sunol, affectionately called Jesusita.
Despite not having established a close relationship with the Brazilian imperial family, the photo album of the de Saisset family, in California, keeps images of princesses Januária and Francisca de Joinville. The Count d’Áquila, Januária’s husband, befriended Pedro’s uncle in Paris and became responsible for transmitting news about the Braganças to them. He even presented the de Saisset with some photographs, including his own, which is also kept in the same family album.
With Jesusita, Pedro had four children and, in the 19th century, was a father well ahead of his time. Contrary to the customs back then, he insisted on spending time and having conversations with them. He would also take the children to his workplace, including the girls, and never demanded that any of them get married nor determined what they should study, but was always supportive towards the choices they made.
The boys chose careers in the art world. One became a painter, the other tried, without much success, to be a musician. He played the violin and piano very well but, like his grandfather D. Pedro I, he had a remarkable lack of control when it came to women. He was in and out of relationships and such disturbance ended up preventing him from taking his career seriously.
In San Jose, Pedro de Saisset is remembered as an entrepreneur and visionary, who brought electric light to the city and contributed to positioning it as a major commercial and investment center in California. To this day, on the main street, there is still the Alcantara Building, which was erected by the Saisset family. As of March 2022, the property was vacant for rent.