Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa
Encyclopedia
Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa (ˈwɔʃintõ luˈis peˈrejrɐ dʒi ˈsowzɐ; October 26, 1869 – August 4, 1957) was a Brazilian politician. His family was of Portuguese
Romani descent. He was born in Macaé
, Rio de Janeiro
, and moved to São Paulo, where he became a lawyer. Elected governor of São Paulo
state in 1920 and president of Brazil
in 1926, Washington Luís was the last president of the Brazilian First Republic (see also café com leite
, coronelismo
). Facing the 1929 crisis, the president lost almost all his support. He elected his friend Júlio Prestes
as his successor in 1930, but just 3 weeks before the end of his term, Luís was overthrown by a coup d'etat
(1930 Revolution) and was succeeded by a military junta.
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
Romani descent. He was born in Macaé
Macaé
Macaé is a city located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, 180 km northeast of the state capital. Its population was recorded as 206,748 in 2010 and the municipal covers an area of 1,216 km²....
, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, and moved to São Paulo, where he became a lawyer. Elected governor of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
state in 1920 and president of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1926, Washington Luís was the last president of the Brazilian First Republic (see also café com leite
Café com leite
Café com leite was a term that referred to the domination of Brazilian politics under the Old Republic by the landed gentries of São Paulo and Minas Gerais...
, coronelismo
Coronelismo
Coronelismo was the system of machine politics in Brazil under the Old Republic . Known also as the "rule of the coronels", the term referred to the classic boss system under which the control of patronage was centralized in the hands of a locally dominant oligarch known as a coronel, particularly...
). Facing the 1929 crisis, the president lost almost all his support. He elected his friend Júlio Prestes
Júlio Prestes
Júlio Prestes de Albuquerque was a Brazilian politician. Governor of São Paulo state in 1926, he was elected president of Brazil on March 1, 1930, but never took office because the government was overthrown in the Revolution of 1930 that brought Getulio Vargas to power, three weeks before Prestes'...
as his successor in 1930, but just 3 weeks before the end of his term, Luís was overthrown by a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
(1930 Revolution) and was succeeded by a military junta.