António José de Almeida

António José de Almeida
Minister for the Interior
In office 5 October 1910 – 3 September 1911
Prime Minister	Teófilo Braga (as President of the Provisional Government)
Preceded by	António Teixeira de Sousa (as Minister of the Kingdom, also President of the Council of Ministers)
Succeeded by	João Chagas (also President of the Ministry)
65th Prime Minister of Portugal (11th of the Republic)
In office 16 March 1916 – 25 April 1917
President	Bernardino Machado
Preceded by	Afonso Costa
Succeeded by	Afonso Costa
Minister for the Colonies
In office 16 March 1916 – 25 April 1917
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Alfredo Rodrigues Gaspar
Succeeded by	Ernesto Jardim de Vilhena
6th President of Portugal
In office 5 October 1919 – 5 October 1923
Preceded by	João do Canto e Castro
Succeeded by	Manuel Teixeira Gomes
Personal details
Born	27 July 1866(1866-07-27) Vale da Vinha, Penacova, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	October 31, 1929(1929-10-31) (aged 63) Lisbon, Portuguese Republic
Political party	Evolutionist Republican Party (later Sacred Union and Liberal Republican Party)
Spouse(s)	Maria Joana de Morais Perdigão Queiroga
Children	Maria Teresa
Occupation	Physician

António José de Almeida, GCTE,^[1] GCA, GCC, GCSE, (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔniu ʒuˈzɛ dɨ aɫˈmɐjdɐ]; Penacova, São Pedro de Alva, 27 July 1866 - Lisbon, 31 October 1929), son of José António de Almeida and wife Maria Rita das Neves, was a Portuguese political figure. He served as the sixth President of Portugal from 1919 until 1923.

He studied medicine at the University of Coimbra becoming a medical doctor and during his term as Minister for the Interior, he was the founder of both the University of Lisbon and the University of Porto in 1911. He was one of the most eloquent republican tribunes, and, after the Republic proclamation, as interior minister^[2] he led the moderate wing of the Portuguese Republican Party, that opposed Afonso Costa. The moderates elected Manuel de Arriaga for first elected President, in 24 August 1911, defeating Afonso Costa's candidate, Bernardino Machado. António José de Almeida founded his own party, the Republican Evolutionist Party, that was in the opposition. On 12 June 1916 he became the 6th Minister for Finance and also the 96th Prime Minister of Portugal. Later, both the Republican Evolutionist Party and the Republican Union, Manuel de Brito Camacho's party, joined to form the new Republican Liberal Party, in 1919, that went on to win the legislative elections. On 6 August 1919, António José de Almeida was elected the 6th President of the Republic, and was the only President of the 1st Republic, that completed the full four years mandate. He faced the greatest political instability of the regime and almost resigned. He was also remembered for his voyage to Brazil, in 1922, during the country's 100 years independence birthday, where he was noted as a brilliant speaker.

He married on 14 December 1910 to Maria Joana de Morais Perdigão Queiroga, daughter with her younger sisters Antónia and Catarina of Joaquim José Perdigão Queiroga (b. Évora) and first wife Maria Cândida de Morais and half-sister of Perdigão Queiroga, and on 27 December 1911 they had an only daughter Maria Teresa Queiroga de Almeida, married to medical doctor Júlio Gomes da Cunha de Abreu and had issue.

Notes and references

Official portrait of President António José de Almeida by Henrique Medina.

v t e Presidents of Portugal First Republic Manuel de Arriaga · Teófilo Braga · Bernardino Machado · Sidónio Pais · Canto e Castro · António José de Almeida · Teixeira Gomes · Bernardino Machado Second Republic Mendes Cabeçadas · Gomes da Costa · Óscar Carmona · Oliveira Salazar · Craveiro Lopes · Américo Thomaz Third Republic National Salvation Junta · António de Spínola · Costa Gomes · Ramalho Eanes · Mário Soares · Jorge Sampaio · Cavaco Silva