Francisco da Costa Gomes Facts for Kids

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

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Francisco da Costa Gomes ComTE • GOA
Gomes in 1975

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 – 13 July 1976
Preceded by	Joaquim da Luz Cunha
Succeeded by	António Ramalho Eanes
In office 12 September 1972 – 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
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

Francisco da Costa Gomes (born June 30, 1914 – died July 31, 2001) was a very important Portuguese military officer and politician. He became the 15th president of Portugal. He was the second president after the Carnation Revolution, a big change in Portugal's history.

Early Life and Family
Military Career and Political Role
President of Portugal
Honours and Awards
- Portuguese Honours
- International Honours
See also

Early Life and Family

Francisco da Costa Gomes was one of eleven children. His parents were António José Gomes and Idalina Júlia Monteiro da Costa. He was born in Chaves, Portugal.

In 1952, he married Maria Estela Veloso de Antas Varajão. They had one son, also named Francisco da Costa Gomes.

Military Career and Political Role

Francisco da Costa Gomes had a long and important career in the military. He was involved in many key events in Portugal's history.

Early Military Service

In 1961, Costa Gomes was a high-ranking officer in the Army. He was part of a group that tried to convince the President, Américo Tomás, to remove the Prime Minister, António de Oliveira Salazar. This was a big political moment in Portugal.

Service in Angola

Later, in 1970, he became the Commander of the Military Region of Angola. At that time, Angola was a Portuguese colony. He tried to make a peace agreement with one of the groups fighting for Angola's independence, UNITA. This was against other groups like the MPLA and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA).

Return to Portugal and the Carnation Revolution

In 1972, Costa Gomes was called back to Portugal. He became the Chief of the Armed Forces. However, he was removed from this job in March 1974. This happened because he refused to promise his loyalty to the Prime Minister, Marcello Caetano, in a public ceremony. Just a few weeks later, on April 25, 1974, the Carnation Revolution happened. This revolution ended the old government in Portugal without much fighting.

After the revolution, he was one of the seven military leaders who formed the National Salvation Junta. This group took charge of Portugal after the revolution.

President of Portugal

Francisco da Costa Gomes became the President of Portugal on September 30, 1974. He was chosen by the National Salvation Junta after the previous president, António de Spínola, resigned.

He served as president until June 27, 1976. After that, the Portuguese people held their first presidential election. They chose General Ramalho Eanes to be the next president. In 1982, Costa Gomes was given an honorary promotion to Field Marshal, which is a very high military rank.

Honours and Awards

Francisco da Costa Gomes received many important awards and honours throughout his life, both from Portugal and other countries. These awards recognized his long service and contributions.