Baltasar Rebelo de Sousa

Baltasar Leite Rebelo de Sousa, GCIH (Lisbon, Santos o Velho, April 16, 1921 – Lisbon, December 1, 2001) was a Portuguese politician and former Minister and Member of Parliament and medicine professor.

Background

He was the only son of António Joaquim Rebelo de Sousa (Cabeceiras de Basto, Pedraça, Paço de Vides, April 8, 1860 – August 7, 1927), a landowner (already a widow of Rosa da Costa, whom he married in Angola and by whom he had five other sons António, Eduardo, Augusto, Álvaro and Óscar Rebelo de Sousa), and second wife Joaquina Leite da Silva, Gandarela, São Clemente, Celorico de Basto 1896? – April 16, 1975), daughter of Manuel Leite da Silva and wife and relative Deolinda Leite. His paternal grandparents were Manuel Joaquim Rebelo de Sousa, a trader, and wife Feliciana de Jesus, daughter of José Mendes de Magalhães and wife Teresa Dias do Nascimento de Jesus, who were also the parents of Baltasar Joaquim (born in 1859), Rosalinda do Nascimento, Bernardino Joaquim, Joaquim and Valentina do Nascimento Rebelo de Sousa.

Career

He was a Licentiate in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. He graduated with grades of 10 out of 20, the reason why he used to be called by his detractors Baltazero.

He started his career as a medical doctor.

He was a Subsecretary of State for Education and a National Comissar of the Mocidade Portuguesa. He then became Secretary of State and Minister, Minister of the Corporations and Health, Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia Nacional), Vice-President of the Overseas Council, Vice-President of the Acção Nacional Popular, Governor-General of Mozambique, from 1968 until 1970 and where he was still remembered with saudade more than thirty years after serving there, and finally the last Minister for the Overseas until the Carnation Revolution. In its aftermath he went to his Ministry where he stood most part of the day and communicate with the rest of the Portuguese Council of Ministers, who were seized in "Quartel do Carmo" ( a military facility in Lisbon). He went to exile in Brazil.

He then became a Professor of Higher Education in São Paulo, São Paulo and the Administrator of a company of the Pirelli Group. He also had an active role in Luso-Brazilian associacions, such as the Associação Luso-Brasileira, of which he became the Director, also being a member and President of the Curator Council of the Fundação Luso-Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento dos Países de Língua Portuguesa.

Decorations

He was a Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique), Grand Cross of the Order of Public Instruction, Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil, etc.

Family

He married in Lisbon in 1941 or thereabouts, in a simple ceremony with only two of his friends as witnesses, in a union not approved by both parents at the time, to Maria das Neves Fernandes Duarte (Covilhã, Conceição, July 30, 1921 – Lisbon, March 8, 2003), daughter of Joaquim das Neves (b. Covilhã, Erada, January 1, 1874) and wife Maria Rosa Fernandes Duarte (b. Covilhã, 1889?); paternal granddaughter of José Antunes das Neves (son of Francisco de Jesus and wife Maria Antunes) and wife Maria Florência (daughter of José Antunes Castanheira and wife Maria Florência), both born and married in Covilhã, Erada; and maternal granddaughter of Manuel Fernandes Duarte and wife Leonor Rosa; they had three children:

References

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