José Maria de Sousa Horta e Costa, CavA, OA, OSE (20 October 1858 – 21 September 1927), also known as José Maria de Sousa Horta e Costa (de) Almeida e Vasconcelos, was a Portuguese soldier, politician, and diplomat. He was colonial

Governor of Macau The governor of Macau (; ) was a Portugal, Portuguese colonial official who headed the Portuguese Empire, colony of Portuguese Macau, Macau, before 1623 called captain-major (). The post was replaced on 20 December 1999 upon the handover of M ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He was the second son of Miguel António de Sousa Horta Almeida e Vasconcelos, 2nd Baron of Santa Comba Dão and his second wife, Maria da Glória da Costa Brandão e Albuquerque, sister of the 1st

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

of Ervedal da Beira. He was born in

Santa Comba Dão Santa Comba Dão () is a city and a municipality in the Viseu District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 11,597, in an area of 111.95 km2. The city proper has a population of 3,300. The present mayor is Leonel Gouveia, elected in 2013 ...

and died in

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

Foz do Douro Foz do Douro (; meaning "Mouth of the Douro") is a former civil parish in the municipality of Porto, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Aldoar, Foz do Douro e Nevogilde. The population in 2011 was 10,997, in an area of 1.88& ...

Career

Horta e Costa studied at the ''Escola do Exército'' and started his military career as an Alferes of

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while consider ...

on 10 January 1883. He belonged to the

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

of his military branch and was promoted through lieutenant,

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, major, and lieutenant colonel, finally reaching the post of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of engineers. At the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; , ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university ...

he took a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in mathematics. A lieutenant already in 1886, the Minister of the Navy, , appointed him director of

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. Here he distinguished himself, and in 1888 he was elected deputy to the

Cortes Gerais The Cortes Gerais ( pre-1911 spelling: Cortes Geraes,https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:574055/PDF/ meaning ''General Courts'' in Portuguese) were the parliament of the Kingdom of Portugal during the Constitutional Monarchy ...

for the legislature of 1887–1889 in a supplementary election, taking his seat in 1889 already with the post of

, in which seat he had interventions on 23 and 30 January 10 and 21 April 3 May, 6, 14 and 26 June 1889. He had a seat at the Chamber in diverse legislatures, more specifically in the ones of 1890–1892 and 1893, in which he was part of commissions twice in 1892, thrice in 1893 and thrice in 1894 and had interventions on 7 June 11, 15 and 21 July and 21 August 1890, 22 June 1891, 3 February and 19 March 1892, 10 January 22, 23 and 27 May 20, 22 and 23 June and 1, 5, 6 and 12 July 1893, always representing the

circle A circle is a shape consisting of all point (geometry), points in a plane (mathematics), plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the Centre (geometry), centre. The distance between any point of the circle and the centre is cal ...

of Macau, where he returned in 1893 as 69th governor, taking office on 24 March 1894. He resigned on 12 March/May 1897 after a ministerial change and was granted a Letter of Counsel, becoming a Member of His Most Faithful Majesty's Counsel. He was also an

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of Diplomatic rank#Special envoy, diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an au ...

and a

minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

in China, Japan, and

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, where he met the

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

and

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China ...

at the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

in Beijing;

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

in Tokyo; and

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, who decorated him. In 1900 the Regenerator Party returned to power and the Counsilor Horta e Costa was again appointed on 12 August as the 71st

, where he conducted a military expedition. The mission was difficult and risky, and he received a Portary of Commendation. He then founded the

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

and made various improvements. He left office on 17 December 1902. On 14 February 1907, as Chief of Cabinet of the President of the Ministry of João Franco, he was appointed 113th

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, an office he bore until the proclamation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. In the year he took office he instaured an enquiry. His government was marked by the promulgation of various measures towards developing commerce in the province. One of the most important improvements achieved in his tenure was the building of metal bridges to improve the communication between cities in the province. Among other achievements, he regularised the

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

Panaji Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...

city by building a special reservoir at Bainguinim with special imported materials from France. He also increased the capacity of the port at Mormugão and he was responsible for Campal Avenue, where he constructed roads with footpaths and planted trees. According to

Goan Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...

historian Percival Noronha, the fact that he was an engineer by profession made a difference, and the amount of development work carried out by him in the four years of his rule was something "never done in hundreds of years". He also had other plans which were not fulfilled during his regime. His government was marked by the Revolt of the Ranes, to which the simple arrival of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

of Landins was enough to overcome. With the Proclamation of the Portuguese Republic he ended his term. A public

political rally Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of status or resources. The branch of social science that studies poli ...

elected Dr. Francisco Manuel Couceiro da Costa as the new governor, as required by the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

. Horta e Costa embarked for his homeland without being molested and with the respect of all the population of India. Avenida Horta e Costa, in Macau, is named after him.

Decorations

Knight Grand Cross A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the Order of the Crown of Siam *

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

of Spain *

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

and

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

Order of Aviz The Military Order of Aviz (), known previously to 1910 as the Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz (), and before 1789 as the Knights of Saint Benedict of Aviz () or ''Friars of Santa Maria of Évora'', is one of the four former ancien ...

* Officer of the

Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword (), formerly known as the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit (), is one of the four former ancient Port ...

* Silver Medal of Exemplary Behaviour * Many others

Family

He married Carolina Adelaide Pinheiro de Vasconcelos Silvano (18 April 1869 – Porto) on 12 April 1886, shortly before embarking to Macau, daughter of António Maria Silvano, then a Lieutenant Colonel of the Infantry Regiment of the Overseas, later Brigadier General and General of the Arm of Infantry, Knight and Officer of the Order of Aviz, Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, etc., and his wife Carolina Xavier Pinheiro. They had three children: * Miguel Silvano Horta e Costa (

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Encarnação, 21 August 1898 –

, 31 March 1953) * Vera Maria Silvano Horta e CostaAlso known as Vera Maria de Sousa de Macedo Horta e Costa, Vera Maria de Sousa Horta e Costa Almeida e Vasconcelos, Vera Maria Silvano de Sousa de Macedo Horta e Costa or Vera Maria Silvano de Sousa de Macedo Horta e Costa Almeida e Vasconcelos. (Lisbon, 7 August 1904 – ?), unmarried and without issue; she lived with her brother Vasco * Vasco Silvano Horta e Costa (Lisbon, 18 March 1905 or 20 March 1906 – Porto, 11 April 2006)

Notes

Sources

* Afonso Eduardo Martins Zúquete, ''Tratado de Todos os Vice-Reis e Governadores da Índia'', Editorial Enciclopédia, Lisboa, 1962, p. 247 * Afonso Eduardo Martins Zúquete, ''Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil'', Volume Terceiro, p. 289 * Albano da Silveira Pinto and Dom Augusto Romano Sanches de Baena Farinha de Almeida Portugal Silva e Sousa, 1st Viscount of Sanches de Baena, ''Resenha das Famílias Titulares e Grandes de Portugal'', Fernando Santos e Rodrigo Faria de Castro, 2.ª Edição, Braga, 1991, p. 517 * Domingos de Araújo Affonso and Rui Dique Travassos Valdez, ''Livro de Oiro da Nobreza'', J. A. Telles da Sylva, 2.ª edição, Lisboa, 1988, Volume III, p. 235 * António de Vasconcelos, ''Brás Garcia Mascarenhas'', Imprensa da Universidade, Coimbra, 1921, p. 157 * Various, ''Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal'', III, 1985, Tomo I, p. 854 and Tomo II, p. 1,048
José Maria de Sousa Horta e Costa in a Portuguese Genealogical site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horta Costa, Jose Maria Sousa 1858 births 1927 deaths Portuguese engineers Portuguese military officers Portuguese politicians Portuguese diplomats Portuguese nobility Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Commanders of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Officers of the Order of Aviz Officers of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Governors of Macau People from Santa Comba Dão Governors-general of Portuguese India University of Coimbra alumni Ambassadors of Portugal to China Ambassadors of Portugal to Japan Ambassadors of Portugal to Thailand