José Sarney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency José Sarney
Official portrait, 1985
31st President of Brazil
In office 15 March 1985 – 15 March 1990 Acting president 15 March 1985 – 21 April 1985
Vice President	None
Preceded by	João Figueiredo
Succeeded by	Fernando Collor de Mello
20th Vice President of Brazil
In office 15 March 1985 – 21 April 1985
President	Tancredo Neves
Preceded by	Aureliano Chaves
Succeeded by	Itamar Franco
Further offices held President of the Federal Senate In office 2 February 2009 – 1 February 2013 Preceded by Garibaldi Alves Filho Succeeded by Renan Calheiros In office 1 February 2003 – 14 February 2005 Preceded by Ramez Tebet Succeeded by Renan Calheiros In office 2 February 1995 – 4 February 1997 Preceded by Humberto Lucena Succeeded by Antônio Carlos Magalhães Senator for Amapá In office 1 February 1991 – 1 February 2015 Preceded by Seat established Succeeded by Davi Alcolumbre Senator for Maranhão In office 1 February 1971 – 15 March 1985 Preceded by Vitorino de Brito Freire Succeeded by Américo de Souza Governor of Maranhão In office 31 January 1966 – 14 May 1970 Vice Governor Antônio Dino Preceded by Newton Bello Succeeded by Antônio Dino Member of the Chamber of Deputies In office 6 June 1955 – 31 January 1966 Constituency Maranhão
Personal details
Born	José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa (1930-04-24) 24 April 1930 (age 95) Pinheiro, Maranhão, Brazil
Political party	PMDB (1985–present)
Other political affiliations	Other parties PFL (1985) PDS (1979–1985) ARENA (1965–1979) UDN (1955–1965)
Spouse	Marly Macieira ​ (m. 1952)​
Children	Roseana, Fernando, José
Alma mater	Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA)
Signature

José Sarney (born José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa on April 24, 1930) is a well-known Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer. He served as the 31st President of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. Before that, he was the 20th Vice President of Brazil for a short time in 1985.

Sarney had a long career in Brazilian politics. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1955 to 1966. Later, he served in the Senate from 1971 to 1985. He also held the position of Governor of Maranhão from 1966 to 1970.

During a time when Brazil was under military rule, Sarney was part of the government's main political party. However, he later joined those who wanted more democracy. He became the Vice President when Tancredo Neves won the presidential election. Sadly, Neves became very ill and passed away before he could take office. This meant José Sarney became president.

After his time as president, Sarney continued his work in the Senate. He was elected again in 1991 and served until 2015. He also led the Senate as its president three times after his presidency. When he retired in 2015, he had one of the longest careers in Brazil's Congress.

Early Life and Education

José Sarney was born in Pinheiro, Maranhão, a city in Brazil. His birth name was José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa. His father, Sarney de Araújo Costa, was a wealthy landowner.

He went to Colégio Marista and Licéu Maranhense for his early education. In 1953, he earned a law degree from the Federal University of Maranhão. After finishing his studies, he started a literary magazine called A Ilha (The Island).

In 1965, he officially changed his name to José Sarney de Araújo Costa for his political career. People often called him "Zé do Sarney," which means "José, son of Sarney." His father got the name "Sarney" because he was born on land owned by an Englishman called "Sir Ney."

Political Journey

Starting in Politics

Sarney began his political journey in the 1950s. He first became a replacement deputy, which is like a substitute lawmaker. Then, in 1955, he was elected as a federal deputy. He was part of the National Democratic Union (UDN) party.

He supported the military takeover in 1964, which changed Brazil's government. After this, Sarney joined the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA). This was the political party that supported the military government. In 1966, he was elected governor of the state of Maranhão, serving until 1971. After that, he became a senator and later led the ARENA party.

Becoming Vice President

Even though Sarney supported the military government, some military leaders were not fully supportive of his career. In 1979, ARENA changed its name to the Democratic Social Party (PDS), and Sarney remained its leader.

In 1984, many people in Brazil wanted direct elections for president again. The PDS party was divided. Sarney disagreed with some of the party's choices and left to form the Liberal Front Party. This new party then teamed up with the PMDB, which was the main opposition party against the military government.

As part of this alliance, Sarney became the running mate for Tancredo Neves. Neves won the election on January 15, 1985. However, he became very sick the night before he was supposed to become president. Sarney then became the Vice President and acting president. When Neves passed away on April 21, Sarney officially became the first civilian president in 21 years.

His Time as President

Sarney takes the oath of office as Vice President of Brazil on March 15, 1985, becoming Acting President

When Sarney became president, there were some questions about whether he should take office. Some people thought that since Neves couldn't be there, Sarney shouldn't become acting president. They believed that Sarney was only elected Vice President because Neves was elected President.

However, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ulysses Guimarães, said that Sarney had the right to become president. He explained that the Vice President's job is to take over when the President cannot. This helped clear up the confusion.

Sarney worked with the president of Argentina, Raúl Alfonsín, to create a common market between their two countries in 1985. This agreement later led to the formation of Mercosur in 1991. He also helped change the constitution to remove parts that were from the military government's time.

Sarney faced many challenges during his presidency. Brazil had a huge foreign debt and very high inflation. He launched an economic plan called "Plano Cruzado" to try and fix the economy. It worked well at first, but inflation later became worse. A new, fully democratic constitution was created in 1988. In 1989, Brazil held its first direct presidential elections since 1960. Sarney could not run for president again in that election.

President Sarney with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Pelé during a state dinner at the White House, 1986

After the Presidency

Sarney in March 2020

After his presidency, Sarney returned to the Senate, representing the state of Amapá. He served as President of the Senate several times: from 1995 to 1997, 2003 to 2005, and from 2009 to 2013.

He retired from politics in 2015. At the time, he was the longest-serving member of the Brazilian Congress. He spent almost his entire adult life, from 1955 to 2015, in elected office.

Personal Life

In 1952, Sarney married Marly Macieira. They have three children: José Sarney Filho, who became a Congressman; Roseana Sarney, who became a Governor; and Fernando Sarney, a businessman.

José Sarney is also a writer. His most famous poetry book is called Os Marimbondos de Fogo (The Fire Wasps). In 1980, he was chosen to be a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, which is a very important group for writers in Brazil.

Sarney has had some health issues. In 2012, he had a heart procedure. In 2021, he was hospitalized for a lung issue. In 2023, he was hospitalized after a fall and was diagnosed with a brain condition.

Awards and Decorations

José Sarney has received many awards and honors throughout his career.

National Honours

Ribbon bar	Honour	Date
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross	1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco	1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit	1995 – automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit	1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Aeronautical Merit	1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Military Judicial Merit	1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit	1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office

Foreign Honours

Ribbon bar	Country	Honour
	France	Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
	Italy	Medal of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
	Norway	Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
	Peru	Grand Cross with diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru
	Portugal	Collar of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword
	Portugal	Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
	Portugal	Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
	Romania	Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania

See also

• List of presidents of Brazil
• History of Brazil (1964-present)
• Presidency of Sarney