General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Artur Ivens Ferraz (; 1 December 1870, in Lisbon – 16 January 1933, in Lisbon), was a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

military officer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. He served in the Portuguese Expeditionary Force during the Portuguese participation in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He was later Governor-General of

Portuguese Mozambique Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese colony. Portuguese Mozambique originally ...

, and was Minister of Trade, Colonies and Finances. He also served as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

from 8 July 1929 to 21 January 1930. He later occupied the post of general administrator of the Army and head of the Armed Forces.

Early life

Born in Lisbon in 1870, he was the son of engineer Ricardo Júlio Ferraz and his wife Catherine Prescott Hickling Ivens. He had five brothers and one sister; three of his brothers also went into the military. He was educated at the Royal Military College from 1883 to 1888. He then attended the Escola Politécnica in Lisbon and the School of the Army, where he completed the

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

course with a high mark in 1893.

Military career

In 1900, he completed the Army Staff course with distinction. While still a lieutenant, he headed the Portuguese mission that witnessed the

British army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

manoeuvres in 1904. Between 1904 and 1918, he was a professor at the School of the Army, where he taught artillery tactics. He also taught English at the

Military College A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

from 1905 to 1913. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Ivens Ferraz was appointed chief liaison officer of the

Portuguese Expeditionary Corps The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (CEP, Portuguese: ''Corpo Expedicionário Português'') was the main military force from Portugal that fought in the Western Front, during World War I. Portuguese neutrality ended in 1916 after the Portuguese ...

(CEP) with the

in France in 1917. Previously, he headed a military mission to the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

at the outbreak of the war (1914) and held other senior positions in the CEP. According to British sources, he had perfect English and even looked like an Englishman. From 1919 to 1922 he was military attaché in London. Between 1924 and 1926 he served as head of the office of the High Commissioner of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, Victor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho, and from May to November 1926 as acting High Commissioner and Governor-General.

Government

During the Military Dictatorship, in the government led by General Carmona, he served as Minister of Commerce and Communications (from August 1927 to January 1928), Minister of the Colonies (from January to February 1928) and interim Minister of Finance (from February to April 1928). In this latter capacity, he went to Geneva to negotiate a large foreign loan under the auspices of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

, but ultimately rejected the conditions attached to it, considered offensive to national sovereignty. On his return to Lisbon, he was received in triumph. Promoted to General in 1928, Ivens Ferraz was appointed

by then President Carmona on 8 July 1929, holding office until 21 January 1930. He also temporarily took over the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Internal Administration and Education. A conservative republican, he favoured a return to constitutional normality, although not immediate. His differences over the future of the regime with the Finance Minister, Salazar, who defended an authoritarian model, eventually led to the fall of the government. After leaving office, he returned to his previous post as General Administrator of the Army and, in 1931, was appointed , a position he held until his death in 1933. His memoirs of six months as head of government were published posthumously.Ferraz, Artur Ivens; Oliveira, César (prefácio e notas) (1988). ''A Ascensão de Salazar: Memórias de Ivens Ferraz''. Lisboa: O Jornal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferraz, Artur Ivens 1870 births 1933 deaths Finance ministers of Portugal Prime Ministers of Portugal Government ministers of Portugal Governors-General of Mozambique People from Lisbon Portuguese expatriates in Mozambique Portuguese military personnel of World War I Portuguese people of British descent