Manuel de Brito Camacho (12 February 1862,

Aljustrel Aljustrel () is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 9,257, in an area of 458.47 km2. The present mayor is Nelson Domingos Brito, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is ...

— 19 September 1934, Lisbon) 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 ** Port ...

military officer, writer, publicist and politician, who among other positions, was Minister of Public Works, Commerce and Industry (1910–1911) and Republican High Commissioner to

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 Empire, Portuguese colony. Portuguese Moz ...

(1921 and 1923). He was the founder of the Partido Unionista (''Union Party''), and director of the newspaper ''A Luta'' (''The Struggle''), the mouthpiece of the same Party.

Biography

Manuel de Brito Camacho was born on Monte das Mesas, in the vicinity of Rio de Moinhos, a few kilometers from the village of

, to a rural family of farmers. He was the half-brother of Inocêncio Camacho Rodrigues, the governor of the Bank of Portugal involved in the scandal caused by the thefts of Alves dos Reis. After primary studies in

(1876–1880), he attended the Beja secondary school, afterward leaving for Lisbon where he attend preparatory studies at the Escola Politécnica, as a ward of uncle in Lisbon. Upon concluding his studies, he entered into the faculty of Medicine in the School of Medical-Surgery of Lisbon, completing his course in 1884, where he began his career in the parish of Torrão,

Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 ye ...

. In 1891 he joined the Portuguese Army as surgeon-adjunct, and assigned to the military units in

Tancos Tancos is a Portuguese ''freguesia'' ("civil parish"), located in the municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha. The population in 2011 was 243,Torres Novas, a career that would ultimately make him a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Political career

His political career began in the 1893 General Elections, when he was a candidate for the district of Beja on the Republican electoral list. At that time he published ''Nove de Junho'' (''Ninth of June''), which questioned monarchist institutions. Following the election, he was disciplined, suspended for a year and transferred to the 2nd Division in

Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the district of the same name, with a population of 100,000 inhabitants, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões intermunipical community, with 267,633 inhabi ...

. Shortly afterward he was reassigned to the

Azores ) , motto= ( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem=( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

for his republican ideals, where he remained for a year. In 1894, he returned to Viseu, and began regularly contributed as a correspondent, becoming one of the more notable figures in the Republican camp. By 1894 he had founded, with Ricardo Pais Gomes and Ribeiro de Sousa, the magazine ''O Intransigente'' (''The Intransigent''), a Republican publication that criticized the politics and propaganda of the time, which he maintained regularly until June 1895. From 1896 to 1897 he dedicated himself to publishing and collaboration with other Republican periodicals, and developed in

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

a political action committee, realizing several conferences and commissions. In 1902 he presented a doctoral thesis in Medicine at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

, but abandoned his practice definitively as military medic, dedicated himself completely to journalism and politics. He promoted a conference titled ''A Coroa substituída pelo chapéu de côco'' (''The Crown Substituted by the Bowler Hat''), wherein he violently attacked institutional monarchism. Although disconnected with medical practice, he did run for a professorship at the ''Escola Médico-Cirúrgica de Lisboa'' (''Medical-Surgery School of Lisbon'') in 1904. Brito Camacho founded, with other like-minded Republicans, the magazine ''A Lucta'', which began printing on 11 January 1906. The publication quickly turned into an influential republican source, transforming itself into an official organ of the ''Partido Unionista'' (''Unionist Party'').

After the Revolution

In elections following the

Lisbon Regicide The Lisbon Regicide or Regicide of 1908 ( pt, Regicídio de 1908) was the assassination of King Carlos I of Portugal and the Algarves and his heir-apparent, Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, by assassins sympathetic to Republican interest ...

he was elected as Republican deputy, transforming himself in the National Assembly and the press into the principal

paladin The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...

for the removal of the monarchy (the throne then occupied by young King Manuel II). Camacho was one of the leaders of the movement that created the conditions for the implantation of the

First Portuguese Republic The First Portuguese Republic ( pt, Primeira República Portuguesa; officially: ''República Portuguesa'', Portuguese Republic) spans a complex 16-year period in the history of Portugal, between the end of the period of constitutional monarchy ...

on 5 October 1910. In preparation for these events, Brito Camacho was an important connection between the Republican movement and segments of the Army with republican ideals. His political actions and connection with the Republican movement allowed him to mediate during the process of forming the Provisional Government that followed. On 23 November 1910 he was named the Ministério do Fomento (''Minister of Public Works, Commerce and Industry'') in the Provisional Government of

Teófilo Braga Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga (; 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the overthrow of King Manuel II, as well as the second ele ...

. In this function he was responsible for several reforms, including the division of the Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa (''Lisbon Industrial and Commercial Institute'') a Portuguese school of vocational education founded in 1852, to form the engineering school

Instituto Superior Técnico Instituto Superior Técnico MHSE • MHIP (IST, also known colloquially as Técnico, and stylized TÉCNICO LISBOA) is a public school of engineering and technology, part of University of Lisbon. It was founded as an autonomous school in 1911 ...

(at the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; pt, Universidade de Lisboa, ) is a public research university in Lisbon, and the largest university in Portugal. It was founded in 2013, from the merger of two previous public universities located in Lisbon, t ...

) and the economics/business management school Instituto Superior de Comércio (at the

Technical University of Lisbon The Technical University of Lisbon (UTL; pt, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, ) was a Portuguese public university. It was created in 1930 in Lisbon, as a confederation of preexisting schools, and comprised the faculties and institutes of vet ...

). On the creation of the ''Instituto Superior Técnico'' (IST) he invited Professor

Alfredo Bensaúde Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name. People with the given name include: * Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda ...

, to teach the first Engineering classes, today still one of the first specialized engineering programs in the country (for mining, civil, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering). Courses in these fields were also standardized with a general period of study lasting two-years followed by a three-year period of specialized study. In December 1910 Camacho was responsible for the creation of the Associação de Classe Industrial de Veículos e Artes Correlativas (''Association Industrial Vehicle Classes and Associated Arts''), the precursor to the Associação Automóvel de Portugal (''Automobile Association of Portugal''). Brito Camacho was one of the members of the government, along with

Joaquim Teófilo Braga Joaquim is the Portuguese and Catalan version of Joachim and may refer to: * Alberto Joaquim Chipande, politician * Eduardo Joaquim Mulémbwè, politician * Joaquim Agostinho (1943–1984), Portuguese professional bicycle racer * Joaquim Amat ...

António José de Almeida António José de Almeida, GCTE, GCA, GCC, GCSE (; 27 July 1866 – 31 October 1929), was a Portuguese politician who served as the sixth president of Portugal from 1919 to 1923. Early career Born in Penacova to José António de Almeida ...

, Afonso Costa,

José Relvas José Maria de Mascarenhas Relvas de Campos ( Golegã, Golegã, 5 March 1858 – Alpiarça, Casa dos Patudos, 31 October 1929; , was a Portuguese politician and 70th Prime Minister of Portugal. = Personal life = Jose was in spouse with Eugén ...

, António Xavier Correia Barreto, Amaro de Azevedo Gomes and

Bernardino Machado Bernardino Luís Machado Guimarães, GCTE, GCL (; 28 March 1851, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 29 April 1944, Porto, Portugal), was a Portuguese political figure, the third and eighth president of Portugal (1915–17, 1925–26). In 1917 ...

, who signed the Law of Separation specifying the separation of Church and State (on 20 April 1911). In September 1911, in the first post-Revolutionary elections, he was returned to the government benches. But, as Brito Camacho resumed the directorship of ''A Lucta'', his support for the

Portuguese Republican Party The Portuguese Republican Party (, ) was a Portuguese political party formed during the late years of the constitutional monarchy that proposed and conducted the substitution of the monarchy with the Portuguese First Republic.hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over other city-states. ...

of the

Portuguese Republican Party The Portuguese Republican Party (, ) was a Portuguese political party formed during the late years of the constitutional monarchy that proposed and conducted the substitution of the monarchy with the Portuguese First Republic.Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

''); the Unionists would assume the role of opposition in successive governments. In 1918, after the election of

as President, the Unionist and Evolutionist Parties decided to merge, creating the Partido Liberal Republicano (''Liberal Republican Party''). As a consequence, Brito Camacho slowly reduced his political activity and finally abandoned the leadership of the Party; in his reduced capacity, Brito Camacho even refused the invitation to form a government supported by the Liberal Republican Party. Between March 1921 and September 1923 he exercised functions as the Republican High-Commissioner in

, taking residence in

Lourenço Marques Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...

until 1922.

Later life

Generally, he was a militant republican throughout his life, with an acidic tongue and who was not too popular or respected during his time. His acerbic humor was a reflection of his unhappy upbringing and life. Although he did marry, to an important property-owner's daughter in the region of Aljustrel, his wife died giving birth to their own child, a daughter. The child died shortly after her birth. He was not a humble man, but at the same time he lived a life of austerity and miserly reclusivity, in a home that could pass for an unsuccessful farmer. Because of his militant atheism, he was commonly forgotten by the regime of the ''Estado Novo''. A close study of his writings makes it difficult to reconcile some of his libertarian ideas. Although Camacho, did promote the national Strike Law which created conflict between the working and

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

classes, he did not generally side with one group or the other; he was a defender of all his constituents in the Alentejo, and defended their interests against the central power. His actions in the development of the Crédito Agrícola were due to the development of a policy on cereals, then the Estado Novo concern for the economic development of small and medium-size farms. In 1925, continuing his role as deputy, he made it clear his interest in abandoning active politics. He continued to promote the defense of the democratic ideals and political stability within the Republic. As a consequence of the 28 May 1926 Revolution, he was forced to abandon politics and retreated into private life. He died in Lisbon on 19 September 1934.

Public Works

Manuel de Brito Camacho was the author of more than thirty volumes of published works, in particular narratives and descriptions of his homeland and life in the rural Baixo Alentejo. The strong presence of rural Alentejan imagery were so common in his works that Aquilino Ribeiro titled his study of the politicians life ''Brito Camacho nas Letras e no Seu Monte'' (''Brito Camacho in Letters and on His Mountain''). In addition to several journalistic writings and political commentaries, Brito Camacho is the author of: *''Impressões de Viagem'' (1902) *''Contos e sátiras'' (1920) *''Gente rústica'' (1921) *''A caminho d'Africa'' (1923) *''Os amores de Latino Coelho'' (1923) *''Quadros alemtejanos'' (1925) *''Moçambique, Problemas Coloniais'' (1926) *''Jornadas'' (1927) *''D. Carlos, intimo''(1927) *''Gente Vária'' (1928) *''Cenas da Vida'' (1929) *''De bom humor'' (1930) *''Gente bóer'' (1930) *''Por cerros e vales'' (1931) *''A Linda Emília'' (1932) *''Matéria vaga'' (G1934) *''Política Colonial'' (1936) *''Rescaldo da guerra'' (1936) *''Questões nacionais'' (1937)

Honors

On 29 October 1987, during an official visit, the President of the Republic

Mário Soares Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, GColTE, GCC, GColL (; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th pres ...

unveiled a commemorative plaque in Brito Camacho's home in

, where he had lived until his death. In 1999, the local school, where the young Manuel had attended, was renamed in his honor (''Escola Básica Doutor Brito Camacho'').

External links

* *
Brito CamachoNota biográfica - Brito Camacho
* ttp://revistaantigaportuguesa.blogspot.com/search/label/Brito%20Camacho Crónicas de Brito Camacho para a revista portuguesa Ilustração, de 1930 {{DEFAULTSORT:Camacho, Manuel de Brito 1862 births 1934 deaths People from Aljustrel Portuguese Republican Party politicians category:Republican Union (Portugal) politicians Government ministers of Portugal Governors-General of Mozambique Portuguese military officers Portuguese male writers Public relations people