William Hutchinson Norris

William Hutchinson Norris (September 25, 1800 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia – July 13, 1893 in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo) is known for being a founder of the town of Americana and a settlement in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, and a significant figure in the history of the Confederados.

Norris was a Mexican-American War veteran and an Alabama senator as well, who left the US for Brazil with 30 Confederate families.

Norris served in the Alabama State Legislature, both as a Senator and member of the Alabama House of Representatives from Dallas County during the late 1830s and early 1840s. On December 2, 1861 he was elected Grand Master of the Alabama Masonic Lodge.

On 27 December 1865, Norris and his son Robert C. Norris arrived in Rio de Janeiro aboard the ship South America. It is uncertain what his departure point was; probably New Orleans or Mobile. Norris had left his home at Mount Pleasant in Monroe County. The only member of this immediate family who did not accompany the group to Brazil was his son Francis Johnson Norris.

Norris helped establish a Confederate American presence in Americana and Santa Bárbara d'Oeste where slavery was still legal and began cotton planting. During that period, Norris served as Imperial Congressman for the State of São Paulo, and was also commissioned the rank of Colonel of the National Guard.

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