Francisco da Costa Gomes

Francisco da Costa Gomes, <small>ComTE</small>, <small>GOA</small> (; Chaves, 30 June 1914 &ndash; Lisbon, Lapa, 31 July 2001), was a Portuguese military officer and politician, the 15th President of the Portuguese Republic (the second after the Carnation Revolution).

Life

He was born one of the eleven children of António José Gomes (Chaves, Santo Estêvão - Lisbon, Socorro, 1 July 1922) and wife (m. Chaves, 17 January 1901) 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 See of Viana do Castelo. The couple had only one son, Francisco da Costa Gomes.

Costa Gomes was involved in a revolutionary attempt in 1961 led by the Minister of Defense, General Botelho Moniz. 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 UNITA against the MPLA and the FNLA.

On 12 September 1972 he was called back to Portugal to occupy the post of Chief of the Armed Forces, replacing General Venâncio Deslandes. However he was replaced in March 1974, a few days before the Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974, because he had refused to swear his loyalty to the President of the Council...
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