Auro Soares de Moura Andrade (19 September 1915 – 29 May 1982), commonly known as Auro de Moura Andrade or Moura Andrade, was a Brazilian lawyer and politician. He was born in a wealthy family of farmers from the countryside, son of the cattle rancher Antônio Joaquim de Moura Andrade, known as "The King of the Cattle".

Revolution of 1932

At the age of 17, was part of the

Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 The Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 (sometimes also referred to as Paulista War or Brazilian Civil War) is the name given to the uprising of the population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo against the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 whe ...

, graduating later in law in the

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

of the Largo São Francisco ( USP), where he developed intense political activity, signaling his future in the Brazilian public life. As the head of the periodicals "''A Urna''" (The Ballot Box) and "''O Democrata''" (The Democrat), fought against the government of

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...

, which ended closing them. Great speaker, characteristic that would follow him in his parliamentary life, Andrade was lawyer and held many positions in the State, being also director of the Commercial Association.

Political career

In 1947, Auro was elected

state deputy Established by the Constitution of Brazil, the State Senate is the State's representative body. The members are elected through the proportional system, by taking into account the joining affiliation (political party or coalition of parties), as a ...

by the National Democratic Union (UDN) and, in 1950,

federal deputy The Chamber of Deputies ( pt, Câmara dos Deputados) is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. The chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year t ...

. In 1954, was elected

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

by the

National Labor Party The National Labor Party was formed by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of the Australian Labor Party and Pri ...

(PTN). Brilliant parliamentarian, joined the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(PSD), which he would become highlighted. In 1961, was elected

president of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

, which position he would hold for 7 years, always being re-elected. In 1958, was defeated after running for governor of São Paulo, occasion which Carvalho Pinto was elected with the support of Jânio Quadros. In 1962, was re-elected senator for São Paulo with more than 1 million votes.

Jânio Quadros resignation

Auro was president of the National Congress when president Jânio Quadros resigned in August 1961. Received his resign-letter and immediately called in the Congress. In 4 minutes and a half read the letter, and stated that Jânio was not in Brasília anymore and invited all the parliamentarians for the sworn of his constitutional successor, which would occur in 10 minutes. 20 minutes after the summoning, declared vacancy of the presidential position, as Vice President

João Goulart João Belchior Marques Goulart (1 March 1919 – 6 December 1976), commonly known as Jango, was a Brazilian politician who served as the 24th president of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on 1 April 1964. He was considered the ...

was in an official trip to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. A deputy threw him a microphone and another tried to take the letter from him, but in less than half an hour sworn

Ranieri Mazzilli Pascoal Ranieri Mazzilli (; 27 April 1910 – 21 April 1975) was a Brazilian politician who served as Federal Deputy from 1951 to 1967 and President of the Chamber of Deputies (speaker of the house) from 1958 to 1965. During his term as speak ...

, president of the Chamber of Deputies. This meant the foreshadowing of the nearly Coup D'etat. It was denied to Goulart his legitimate right to Jânio Quadros succession. Had an important acting in the changing to the

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

, which made possible the inauguration of Vice President João Goulart as President of the Republic. Along with Mazzilli and

Ernesto Geisel Ernesto Beckmann Geisel (, ; 3 August 1907 – 12 September 1996) was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who was List of Presidents of Brazil, President of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military regime. Early life and fa ...

, received Jango in the airport when he returned to Brasília on 5 September. Never were clear the reasons that made Auro declare vacancy of the Presidency in 1 April 1964. In the occasion, João Goulart was in Rio Grande do Sul, as the press reported in those days and, besides that, there was the reading of a letter forwarded to the National Congress by then Chief of Staff of the Presidency of Republic

Darcy Ribeiro Darcy Ribeiro (October 26, 1922 – February 17, 1997) was a Brazilian anthropologist, historian, sociologist, author and politician. His ideas have influenced several scholars of Brazilian and Latin American studies. As Minister of Educat ...

, communicating that Goulart trip was official. Was invited to be Prime Minister, as long as he left written a resign-letter in the hands of the President. Refused to accept the imposition, saying to Goulart that such suggestion would make him - Moura Andrade - "not Prime Minister, but Last".

1964 coup d'etat

In March 1964, Moura Andrade participated, in São Paulo, in the

March of the Family with God for Liberty The March of the Family with God for Liberty (Portuguese: Marcha da Família com Deus pela Liberdade) was a series of public demonstrations in Brazil. The first march was held in São Paulo on March 19, 1964, on St Joseph's Day, Saint Joseph bei ...

, public act against the government. In the 30th of the same month, launched a manifest to the nation declaring disruption between the Legislative and the Executive powers, called in the militaries to position themselves in the defense of the institutions. On the next day, the coup happened and, even with President Goulart in the office and in Brazilian soil, Moura Andrade, in a tumultuous session of the Congress, presided by him, declared the Presidency vacant, going personally, by foot, ahead of a legion of congressmen, to the

Planalto Palace Planalto (Portuguese for "plateau") may refer to: Buildings * Palácio do Planalto, Brasília, the official seat of the President of Brazil ** The staff and offices of the executive branch of the Brazilian Government, by metonymy Places *Brazilia ...

, to inaugurate the deputy Ranieri Mazzilli as President of the Republic. Stated in this day, before ending the session: Was appointed by many parliamentarians to compose, as Vice President, the ticket that would elect marshal Castelo Branco for President, but however, resigned the candidacy in the Second Round of the

indirect election An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the old ...

, on 11 April 1964, and

José Maria Alkmin José Maria Alkmin (11 June 1901 – 22 April 1974) was the 15th vice president of Brazil from 1964 to 1967. Alkmin was born in Bocaiúva. He served as Minister of Finance before becoming vice president. He was also once the Partido So ...

replaced him, who practically had no opposition. Disenchanted with the coup that he supported, Moura Andrade, with the boldness that characterized him, publicly stated that "Japona wasn't gown", after being falsely accused by a superior official in charge of an inquiry. Because of that, even having great prestige, was defeated in partisan convention that chose the

ARENA An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

party candidates for the Senate to represent São Paulo in 1970, what made his re-election impossible. Was ambassador of Brazil in Spain for a year and a half between 1968 and 1969 when returned to Brazil, leaving the politics. Was president of the Development Bank of São Paulo State, in 1982, when passed away. In retrospective (notably with the end of the Military Regime), the role of Moura Andrade in 1964 started to be severely questioned. Many criticize him for, in his attributions as president of the

National Congress ''National Congress'' is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures . Political parties *Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress *Guyana: People's National Congress (Guyana) *India: Indian National Congress *Iraq: Iraqi Nati ...

, for giving institutional support for the illegitimate power takeover by the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

(contradicting the Constitution of 1946), instead of maintaining the republican order and assure the continuity of a government elected democratically.

Books

* ''Um Congresso contra o arbítrio: Diários e memória''. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 1985.

Explanatory notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moura Andrade, Auro Soares de 1915 births 1982 deaths People from São Paulo (state) National Democratic Union (Brazil) politicians Social Democratic Party (Brazil, 1945–65) politicians National Renewal Alliance politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) from São Paulo Presidents of the Federal Senate (Brazil) Ambassadors of Brazil to Spain 20th-century Brazilian lawyers Candidates for Vice President of Brazil