Francisco Julião Arruda de Paula (1915-1999) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician and writer. He was born in

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

to a family of landowners. After studying law at university, he dedicated himself to defending peasants who had been expelled from their lands. He helped to found the farmers' cooperative Ligas Camponesas (Peasant League) in 1956, which worked on multiple fronts to advance peasants' rights in

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

. Juliao gained renown as one of the most committed defenders of agrarian reform in mid-century Brazil. He was state deputy for the

Brazilian Socialist Party The Brazilian Socialist Party (, PSB) is a political party in Brazil. It was founded in 1947, before being abolished by the military regime in 1965 and re-organised in 1989 after the re-democratisation of Brazil. It elected six Governors in 201 ...

between 1952 and 1964, and visited the USSR and Cuba, the latter with President

Jânio Quadros Jânio da Silva Quadros (; 25 January 1917 – 16 February 1992) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd president of Brazil from 31 January to 25 August 1961, when he resigned from office. He also served as the 24th a ...

. Elected federal deputy in 1962, he was arrested after the 1964 coup, but was released the following year. He then went into exile in Mexico, where he remained for many years. He returned to Brazil after amnesty was granted in 1979. He died in

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; , "near the woods" , Otomi language, Otomi: ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state, state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcatzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican civilizatio ...

in 1999. As an author, he published essays, short stories and novels. Among his best-known books are ''Cachaça'' (1951), ''Irmão Juazeiro'' (1961), ''O Que São Ligas Camponesas'' (1962) and ''Cambão: La Cara Oculta de Brasil'' (1968). ''Cambao'' was published in English translation as part of the Pelican Latin American Library series.Bio
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References

Brazilian politicians 1915 births 1999 deaths {{Brazil-politician-stub