1959 in Brazil

Events in the year 1959 in Brazil.

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Juscelino Kubitschek
• Vice President: João Goulart

Governors

• Alagoas: Sebastião Muniz Falcão
• Amazonas:
  • Plínio Ramos Coelho (till 25 March)
  • Gilberto Mestrinho (from 25 March)
• Bahia: Antônio Balbino then Juracy Magalhães
• Ceará:
  • Flávio Marcílio (until 25 March)
  • Parsifal Barroso (from 25 March)
• Espírito Santo:
  • Francisco Lacerda de Aguiar (until 31 January)
  • Carlos Fernando Monteiro Lindenberg (31 January-10 October)
  • Raul Giuberti (from 10 October)
• Goiás:
  • José Ludovico de Almeida (until 31 January)
  • José Feliciano Ferreira (from 31 January)
• Maranhão: José de Matos Carvalho
• Mato Grosso: João Ponce de Arruda
• Minas Gerais: José Francisco Bias Fortes
• Pará:
  • Magalhães Barata (until 29 May)
  • Luís de Moura Carvalho (from 29 May)
• Paraíba: Pedro Gondim
• Paraná: Moisés Lupion
• Pernambuco:
  • Otávio Correia de Araújo (until 31 January)
  • Constantino Carneiro de Albuquerque Maranhão (31 January-31 March)
  • Cid Sampaio (from 31 March)
• Piauí:
  • Jacob Gaioso e Almendra (until 25 March)
  • Chagas Rodrigues (from 25 March)
• Rio de Janeiro:
  • Togo Barros (until 30 January)
  • Osmar Serpa de Carvalho (30 January-31 January)
  • Roberto Silveira (from 31 January)
• Rio Grande do Norte: Dinarte de Medeiros Mariz
• Rio Grande do Sul:
  • Ildo Meneghetti (until 25 March)
  • Leonel Brizola (from 25 March)
• Santa Catarina: Heriberto Hülse
• São Paulo:
  • Jânio Quadros (until 31 January)
  • Carlos Alberto Alves de Carvalho Pinto (from 31 January)
• Sergipe:
  • Leandro Maciel (until 31 January)
  • Luís Garcia (from 31 January)

Vice governors

• Alagoas: Sizenando Nabuco de Melo
• Bahia: Orlando Moscoso (from 7 April)
• Ceará: Wilson Gonçalves (from 25 March)
• Espírito Santo:
  • Adwalter Ribeiro Soares (until 31 January)
  • Raul Giuberti (from 31 January)
• Goiás:
  • Bernardo Sayão Carvalho Araújo (until 31 January)
  • João de Abreu (from 31 January)
• Maranhão: Alexandre Alves Costa
• Mato Grosso: Henrique José Vieira Neto
• Minas Gerais: Artur Bernardes Filho
• Paraíba: Pedro Gondim
• Pernambuco: Pelópidas da Silveira (from 15 December)
• Piauí:
  • Francisco Ferreira de Castro (until 25 March)
  • Tibério Nunes (from 25 March)
• Rio de Janeiro:
  • Roberto Silveira (until 25 March)
  • Celso Peçanha (from 25 March)
• Rio Grande do Norte: José Augusto Varela
• Santa Catarina: Vacant
• São Paulo: Porfírio da Paz
• Sergipe:
  • José Machado de Souza (until 31 January)
  • Dionísio Machado (from 31 January)

Events

January

• 31 January: The Brazilian Men's Basketball Team wins its first World Basketball Championship title by beating the Chilean Men's Basketball Team in Santiago.^[1][2]

May

• 26 May: The non-profit philanthropic organization, The Charitable Works Foundation of Sister Dulce is established by Sister Dulce.^[3]

June

• 17 June: President Juscelino Kubitschek decides to break away with the IMF, due to pressure on meeting loan requirements.^[4]

August

• 23 August: The first Brazilian Football Championship begins with state champion clubs in the country's cities.^[5]

December

• 2 December: Journalist Antônio Callado from Correio da Manhã publishes a series of reports on the Peasant Leagues of the Northeast.^[6][7]
• 2-4 December: Officials of the Brazilian Air Force and Brazilian Army try to start a military uprising with a seizure of power and carry out the country's first plane hijacking. The revolt would fail and later be known as the Aragarças Revolt.^[8][9]
• 7 December: The Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco approves the expropriation of Engenho Galiléia (a sugar mill), a project by Deputy Francisco Julião; lawyer for the Peasant League.^[10]
• 15 December: SUDENE is created by Law nº 3.692, which would seek the development of the Northeast region of Brazil.^[11]

Births

January

• 13 January: Gilmar Rinaldi, retired footballer
• 20 January: Ivo Cassol, politician

April

• 12 April: Robinson Faria, politician (Governor of Rio Grande do Norte, 2015-2018)
• 18 April: José Eduardo Cardozo, lawyer

September

• 23 September: Hortência Marcari, basketball player

Deaths

February

• 20 February: Gregório Bondar, Russian-Brazilian agronomist (b. 1881)

August

• 16 August: José Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Brazilian military officer (b. 1885)

November

• 17 November: Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887)