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Portuguese president and politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francisco da Costa Gomes, ComTE GOA (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɾɐ̃ˈsiʃku ðɐ ˈkɔʃtɐ ˈɣomɨʃ]; 30 June 1914 – 31 July 2001) was a Portuguese military officer and politician, the 15th president of Portugal (the second after the Carnation Revolution).
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|
Francisco da Costa Gomes | |
|---|---|
Gomes in 1975 | |
| 15th President of Portugal | |
| In office 30 September 1974 – 13 July 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Vasco Gonçalves José Pinheiro de Azevedo |
| Preceded by | António de Spínola |
| Succeeded by | António Ramalho Eanes |
| President of the Revolutionary Council | |
| In office 14 March 1975 – 13 July 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | António Ramalho Eanes |
| President of the National Salvation Junta | |
| In office 30 September 1974 – 14 March 1975 | |
| Preceded by | António de Spínola |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff | |
| In office 30 April 1974[1] – 13 July 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Joaquim da Luz Cunha |
| Succeeded by | António Ramalho Eanes |
| In office 12 September 1972[1] – March 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Venâncio Augusto Deslandes |
| Succeeded by | Joaquim da Luz Cunha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 June 1914 Chaves, Portugal |
| Died | 31 July 2001 (aged 87) Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Maria Estela Veloso de Antas Varajão
(m. 1952) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Porto |
| Portfolio | Military Region of Angola |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Portugal |
| Branch/service |  Portuguese Army |
| Years of service | 1931–1976 |
| Rank | General (effective) Field Marshal (honorific) |
| Battles/wars | Portuguese Colonial War |
He was one of the eleven children of António José Gomes, (Santo Estevão, Chaves, ? – Lisbon, 1 July 1922) and wife, Idalina Júlia Monteiro da Costa (Chaves, 27 May 1880 – Porto, 18 February 1967).
On 8 December 1952, Gomes married Maria Estela Veloso de Antas Varajão (born 23 March 1927 in Viana do Castelo), daughter of João de Campos Varajão and his wife Angélica Martins Veloso (b. Barcelos, Barcelos), at the Cathedral of Viana do Castelo. The couple had only one son, Francisco da Costa Gomes.
In 1961 Costa Gomes, acting as under-secretary of state for the Army, was involved in a constitutional "coup d'état" headed by the Minister of Defense, General Júlio Botelho Moniz, that tried to convince President Américo Tomás to remove an aged António de Oliveira Salazar from the premiership.
In 1970 he occupied the post of Commander of the Military Region of Angola, where he overhauled the chief-command and was the first to try to establish a military agreement with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) against the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA).
On 12 September 1972 he was called back to Portugal to occupy the post of Chief of the Armed Forces—replacing General Venâncio Augusto Deslandes—but he was replaced in March 1974, a few weeks before the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974, because he had refused to swear his loyalty to the President of the Council of Ministers Marcello Caetano in a public ceremony.
After the Revolution he was one of the seven military leaders who made up the National Salvation Junta. Between 25 April and 30 September he was the second-in-command of the Portuguese state, behind António de Spínola.
He assumed the Presidency of the Republic when named by the Junta after the resignation of Spínola on 30 September 1974, and occupied the post until 27 June 1976 when, in the first Presidential election, the Portuguese chose General Ramalho Eanes to succeed him. He received an honorary promotion to Field Marshal in 1982.
Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (GCL, 5 July 2023) (posthumously)[2][3]
Grand Cross of the Sash of the Three Orders (30 September 1974 – 13 July 1976)
Commander of the Military Order of the Tower and Sword (ComTE, 2 November 1972)[4]
Grand Officer of the Military Order of Aviz (GOA, 20 August 1971)[4]
Commander of the Military Order of Aviz (ComA, 28 December 1953)[4]
Officer of the Military Order of Aviz (OA, 16 September 1950)[4]
Brazil: Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross (21 November 1972)
France: Grand Cross of the National Order of Legion of Honour (20 May 1976)
Libya: Recipient of the Order of the Great Conqueror (20 October 1975)
North Korea: First Class of the Order of the National Flag (20 November 1975)
Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (7 May 1976)
Romania: First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania (15 April 1976)
Senegal: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (6 July 1976)
Yugoslavia: Great Star of the Order of the Yugoslav Star (29 April 1976)[5][6]Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
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