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 Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

soldier, politician, and diplomat. He was colonial

Governor of Macau The governor of Macau ( pt, Governador de Macau; ) was a Portuguese colonial official who headed the colony of Macau, before 1623 called captain-major ( pt, Capitão-mor). The post was replaced on 20 December 1999 upon the transfer of sove ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. 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. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

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 or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

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&n ...

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, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the ...

on 10 January 1883. He belonged to the general staff 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 of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, major, and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, finally reaching the post of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge o ...

of engineers. At the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a 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 u ...

he took a

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

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

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

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

. Here he distinguished himself, and in 1888 he was elected

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

to the Cortes Gerais 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 Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations * Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics * Debate chamber, the space or room that houses delib ...

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 points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...

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 Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...

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 ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, where he met the

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu people, Manchu Nara (clan)#Yehe Nara, Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese nob ...

and

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, w ...

at the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...

in Beijing; Emperor Meiji in Tokyo; and

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

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 estima ...

, who decorated him. In 1900 the

Regenerator Party The Regenerator Party (Portuguese: ''Partido Regenerador'') was a Portuguese political party. Along with their "rivals" the Progressive Party, they dominated politics in the Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugal ...

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. Generally in that type of school the t ...

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 João Franco Ferreira Pinto Castelo-Branco, GCTE (; (14 February 1855 in Alcaide, Fundão – 4 April 1929 in Anadia) was a Portuguese politician, minister, 43rd Minister for Treasury Affairs (14 January 1890) and 47th Prime Minister (19 ...

, he was appointed 113th Governor-General of

, 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. Thes ...

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 estuary ...

city by building a special reservoir at Bainguinim with special imported materials from France. He also increased the capacity of the port at

Mormugão Mormugao is a seaport city situated in the eponymous Mormugao taluka (municipality) of the South district, in the Goa state, India. It has a deep natural harbour and remains Goa's chief port. Towards the end of the Indo-Portuguese era in 1 ...

and he was responsible for Campal Avenue, where he constructed roads with footpaths and planted trees. According to

Goan Goans ( kok, गोंयकार, Romi Konkani: , pt, Goeses) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, who form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Indo-Portuguese, an ...

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 people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

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

political rally A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...

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, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

. 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 Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

of the Order of the Crown of Siam * Commander of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

of Spain *

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of 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. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

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," f ...

of the Order of Aviz * Officer of the Order of Saint James of the Sword * 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 Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

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 (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, 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