Francisco da Costa Gomes

Francisco da Costa Gomes, ComTE GOA (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɾɐ̃ˈsiʃku ðɐ ˈkɔʃtɐ ˈɣomɨʃ]; 30 June 1914 – 31 July 2001) was a former Portuguese military officer and politician who was the 15th President of Portugal from 1974 to 1976.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is da Costa and the second or paternal family name is Gomes.

His Excellency Francisco da Costa Gomes ComTE • GOA
Gomes in 1975
15th President of Portugal
In office 30 September 1974 – 13 July 1976
Prime Minister	Vasco Gonçalves José Pinheiro de Azevedo
Preceded by	António de Spínola
Succeeded by	António Ramalho Eanes
President of the Revolutionary Council
In office 14 March 1975 – 13 July 1976
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	António Ramalho Eanes
President of the National Salvation Junta
In office 30 September 1974 – 14 March 1975
Preceded by	António de Spínola
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff
In office 30 April 1974[1] – 13 July 1976
Preceded by	Joaquim da Luz Cunha
Succeeded by	António Ramalho Eanes
In office 12 September 1972[1] – March 1974
Preceded by	Venâncio Augusto Deslandes
Succeeded by	Joaquim da Luz Cunha
Personal details
Born	(1914-06-30)30 June 1914 Chaves, Portugal
Died	31 July 2001(2001-07-31) (aged 87) Lisbon, Portugal
Resting place	Alto de São João Cemetery
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Maria Estela Veloso de Antas Varajão ​ ​ (m. 1952)​
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Porto
Portfolio	Military Region of Angola
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Portugal
Branch/service	Portuguese Army
Years of service	1931–1976
Rank	General (effective) Field Marshal (honorific)
Battles/wars	Portuguese Colonial War

Biography

Gomes was born in Chaves, Portugal in 30 June 1914, he was one of the eleven children of António José Gomes and Idalina Júlia Monteiro da Costa.

Gomes in the 1940s

On 8 December 1952, Gomes married Maria Estela Veloso de Antas Varajão, daughter of João de Campos Varajão and his wife Angélica Martins Veloso, at the Cathedral of Viana do Castelo. The couple had only one son, Francisco da Costa Gomes.

In 1961, Gomes, acting as under-secretary of state for the Army, was involved in a constitutional "coup d'état" headed by the Minister of Defense, General Júlio Botelho Moniz, that tried to convince President Américo Tomás to remove an aged António de Oliveira Salazar from the premiership.

In 1970 he occupied the post of Commander of the Military Region of Angola, where he overhauled the chief-command and was the first to try to establish a military agreement with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) against the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA).

On 12 September 1972 Gomes was called back to Portugal to occupy the post of Chief of the Armed Forces—replacing General Venâncio Augusto Deslandes [pt]—but he was replaced in March 1974 for refusing to swear his loyalty to the President of the Council of Ministers Marcelo Caetano in a public ceremony.

After the Carnation Revolution in 25 April, Gomes was one of the seven military leaders who made up the National Salvation Junta. Between 25 April and 30 September he was the second-in-command of Portugal behind António de Spínola. He became Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff again on 30 April 1974.

Following Spinola's resignation on 30 September 1974, Gomes was named as the President of the Republic by the reorganised Junta and served until 13 July 1976, when he was succeeded by General António Ramalho Eanes, who won the 1976 Portuguese presidential election. During his presidency, Portugal faced a turbulent period known as the Ongoing Revolutionary Process. Despite the ambiguity of his position, he was recognised for having prevented a potential civil war.^[2] He received an honorary promotion to Field Marshal in 1982.

Gomes died of respiratory failure at the age of 87 at the Lisbon Military Hospital on 31 July 2001. He was buried in the Alto de São João Cemetery.

Honours

National

• Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (GCL, 5 July 2023) (posthumously)^[3][4]
• Grand Cross of the Sash of the Three Orders (30 September 1974 – 13 July 1976)
• Commander of the Military Order of the Tower and Sword (ComTE, 2 November 1972)^[5]
• Grand Officer of the Military Order of Aviz (GOA, 20 August 1971)^[5]
• Commander of the Military Order of Aviz (ComA, 28 December 1953)^[5]
• Officer of the Military Order of Aviz (OA, 16 September 1950)^[5]

Foreign

• Brazil: Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross (21 November 1972)
• France: Grand Cross of the National Order of Legion of Honour (20 May 1976)
• Libya: Recipient of the Order of the Great Conqueror (20 October 1975)
• North Korea: First Class of the Order of the National Flag (20 November 1975)
• Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (7 May 1976)
• Romania: First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania (15 April 1976)
• Senegal: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (6 July 1976)
• Yugoslavia: Great Star of the Order of the Yugoslav Star (29 April 1976)^[6][7]