José Manuel Fontanillas Fragelli (31 December 1915 – 30 April 2010) was a Brazilian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, lawyer and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

. Fragelli served as the Governor of Mato Grosso from 1970 until 1974 and the

President of the Senate of Brazil The president of the Federal Senate, sometimes referred to as the President of the Senate, is the presiding officer of the Federal Senate of Brazil In addition to chairing the chamber's debates and ordering its business, the president of the Fe ...

from 1985 through 1987. Fragelli was born in the city of

Corumbá Corumbá is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 425 km northwest of Campo Grande, the state's capital. It has a population of approximately 112,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly on agriculture, anima ...

, Brazil. (Corumbá was located in the state of Mato Grosso at the time. In 1977, the new state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which includes Corumbá, was carved from Mato Grosso). He earned his law degree from the Faculty of Law at Largo São Francisco ( Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo). Fragelli began his career as a district attorney and law professor. He served as a Mato Grosso

state legislator A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

from 1947 until 1959 before being elected as a deputy to the

Chamber of Deputies of Brazil 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 ...

, the lower house of the National Congress, where he served from 1950 until 1959. He was a leader of the now defunct National Democratic Union. He served as the Governor of Mato Grosso from 1970 until 1974. Returning to Congress, this time as a Senator, Fragelli was elected

from 1985 until 1987. he briefly served as the acting

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

for nine days during the administration of President

José Sarney José Sarney de Araújo Costa (; born José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa; 24 April 1930) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as 31st president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. He briefly served as the 20th vice president of ...

. José Fragelli died on 30 April 2010, at the age of 95. He was buried in the municipal cemetery in the city of

Aquidauana Aquidauana is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It takes its name from the river with which the name is shared. The first European settlers were imperial soldiers who arrived during the Paraguayan War and were ...

, Mato Grosso do Sul. The Estádio Governador José Fragelli, located in

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city ...

, Mato Grosso, is named for Fragelli.

References

1915 births 2010 deaths People from Corumbá Governors of Mato Grosso Presidents of the Federal Senate (Brazil) Members of the Federal Senate (Brazil) Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) from Mato Grosso Brazilian academics 20th-century Brazilian lawyers National Democratic Union (Brazil) politicians People from Aquidauana {{Brazil-politician-stub