Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira
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| Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira | |
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24th President of Brazil
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| In office January 31, 1956 – January 31, 1961 |
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| Vice President(s) | João Goulart |
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| Preceded by | Nereu Ramos |
| Succeeded by | Jânio Quadros |
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| Born | September 12, 1902 Diamantina, Minas Gerais |
| Died | August 22, 1976 Resende, Rio de Janeiro |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party - PSD |
Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (JK) (September 12, 1902 – August 22, 1976) was a prominent Brazilian politician who was President of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. He was born in Diamantina, Minas Gerais. His father, João César de Oliveira (1872-1905), who died when Juscelino was two years old, was a traveling salesman. Juscelino's mother, a schoolteacher named Júlia Kubitschek (1873-1971), was of Czech descent.
Although trained as a doctor, Kubitschek was elected to the Minas Gerais State Assembly in 1934. However, with the advent of Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo in 1937, Kubitschek was forced to return to practicing medicine. Nevertheless, he was appointed mayor of Belo Horizonte in 1940.
He was again elected to the Minas Gerais State Assembly in 1945, and became governor of the state in 1950. In 1955, he ran for president with the slogan "Fifty years of progress in five", and won.
He was sworn in on January 31, 1956 as President of what was then known as the Republic of the United States of Brazil.
His five year tenure resulted in Brazil progressing by leaps and bounds. Among many projects he managed to complete was Brasília, the new capital of Brazil, located in the heart of the country. On October 2, 1956, during his first visit to the place chosen for the construction of the new city — a desert highland located in the central part of Brazil — Kubitschek enthusiatically made the following prophesy: "From this central highland, from this lonely place which very soon will be the head office of the main national decisions, I see the future of my country and I can foresee, faithfully, a new dawn for my homeland relying on its destiny." He also completed major road construction, as well as founding Brazil's automotive industry.
The economy boomed, but at some cost. Much of the investment in industry was funded by printing money. His opponents alleged that he had brought "fifty years of inflation in five." Like many other Latin American currencies, the cruzeiro was repeatedly devalued. The country also went further into debt trying to pay for various ambitious projects, although such debts were very small compared to the tremendous rise of the external debt made by the military during their dictatorship, which started in 1964 with a coup d'état and lasted for 21 years.
Kubitschek was succeeded by Jânio Quadros in 1961. When the military took power in 1964, Kubitschek's political rights were suspended for 10 years. He went into self-imposed exile and stayed in numerous U.S. and European cities.
He returned to Brazil in 1967 but was killed in a car crash in 1976, near the city of Resende in the state of Rio de Janeiro. 350,000 mourners were present at his burial in Brasília. He is now buried in the Memorial JK, which was opened in 1981.
The Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport of Brasília was named after him, and also the luxurious hotel named Kubitschek Plaza located in that city.
In 1980, his daughter Márcia (1942–2000) married Cuban-American ballet star Fernando Bujones. Márcia Kubitschek was elected to the National Congress of Brazil in 1987 and served as lieutenant governor of the Brazilian Federal District from 1991 to 1994.
[edit] See also
[edit] Suggested reading
- Alexander, Robert J. Juscelino Kubitschek and the Development of Brazil. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Center for International Studies, 1991. ISBN 0-89680-163-2
- Bojunga, Cláudio. JK: o artista do impossível. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Objetiva, 2001. ISBN 85-7302-407-0 (In Portuguese only)
| Preceded by José Oswaldo de Araújo |
Mayor of Belo Horizonte 1940–1945 |
Succeeded by João Gusman Júnior |
| Preceded by Milton Soares Campos |
Governor of Minas Gerais 1951–1955 |
Succeeded by Clóvis Salgado da Gama |
| Preceded by Nereu de Oliveira Ramos |
President of Brazil 1956 – 1961 |
Succeeded by Jânio Quadros |
