Manuel da Silva Passos (5 January 1801 – 16 January 1862) was a Portuguese jurist and politician, one of the most notable personalities of 19th-century Portuguese Liberalism. He is more commonly referred to as Passos Manuel, due to the way he was addressed in Parliament, where members were announced by their surname — "Manuel" being apposed to his surname in order to distinguish him from his brother, José da Silva Passos (Passos José), who was also a member of Parliament. Following the September Revolution in 1836, Passos Manuel served briefly as Minister of the Kingdom, in which capacity he oversaw an intense legislative effort to modernise Portuguese education and culture, resulting in the creation of many institutions that now recognise him as their founder or reformer: the creation of public

lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the ...

s; the establishment of the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon and Porto; the creation of the parliamentary library; the reform of the Medico-Surgical Schools in Lisbon and Porto and the and the . Also notably, he entrusted

Almeida Garrett João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, 1st Viscount of Almeida Garrett (; 4 February 1799 – 9 December 1854) was a Portuguese poet, orator, playwright, novelist, journalist, politician, and a peer of the realm. A major promoter o ...

with drawing up a plan to promote national theatre, which resulted in the creation of Queen Maria II National Theatre and the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art. He also introduced the 1836 Administrative Code, the first of its kind in Portugal. A declaration of principles written by Passos Manuel became famous: "''I am a Minister of the Queen — the Queen is the head of the whole nation. And before I was for the Left, I was for the Fatherland. The Fatherland is my policy.''" He married Gervásia Joaquina Farinha de Sousa Falcão on 28 December 1838, and they had two daughters: Beatriz de Passos Manuel, who was granted the title of Viscountess of Passos by King Peter V in 1861 as a reward for her father's services; and Antónia de Passos Manuel, who married Pedro de Sousa Canavarro, grandson of the 1st Baron of Arcossô.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Passos, Manuel da Silva 1801 births 1862 deaths 19th-century Portuguese people Finance ministers of Portugal Government ministers of Portugal People from Matosinhos

See also

References