Nuno Xavier Daniel Dias (13 September 1940 – June 1976) was a São Toméan

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

and politician who served as the first President of the Constituent Assembly after the country's independence from Portugal. He was one of two signatories of the treaty in July 1975 that established

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main isla ...

as an independent nation.

Biography

Xavier was born on 13 September 1940, in the village of Trindade, on

São Tomé Island São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in May 2018 to about 193,380 or 96% of the nation's population. The island is divided into six districts of São Tomé and Príncipe, districts. It is located ...

. He was by profession an

and he worked with the

Portuguese Air Force The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...

, as São Tomé and Príncipe was at the time a colony of Portugal. He held the distinction of being the first pilot from São Tomé. Xavier lived for a time in Portugal before returning to São Tomé, where he was an important figure in developing infrastructure. He served in the government as Minister of International Coordination and was the first São Toméan to have the position of head of the country's Civil Aeronautics Service. He led the construction of bridges, roads, and in his position with the Civil Aeronautics Service, he helped expand the runway of the

São Tomé International Airport São Tomé International Airport () is an international airport located on São Tomé Island, from the city of São Tomé. It is the main airport serving São Tomé and Príncipe. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea ...

. Xavier was active in political affairs. At the start of July 1975,

parliamentary elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

were held for members of the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

and Xavier ran under the MLSTP party, winning a seat. He subsequently was named the legislature's president. A few days later, as president of the Assembly, on 12 July 1975, he signed the treaty with Portuguese officer

António Alva Rosa Coutinho António Alva Rosa Coutinho (14 February 1926 – 2 June 2010) was a Portuguese admiral, political activist, and participant in the Carnation Revolution. Biography Coutinho was born in Lisbon. As an officer of the Portuguese navy, Rosa Coutin ...

that established

as an independent nation. Later in 1975, Xavier left his post in the Constituent Assembly to become Minister of Transport and Social Equipment for the Transitional Government. However, in June 1976, while on an "official visit" to Portugal, he was killed when the helicopter he was in crashed in

Vila Nova de Gaia Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...

. He was 35 at the time of his death. Xavier had several children, including Marta Dias, who became a singer. A 2011 book on São Tomé and Príncipe's history described Xavier as a "charismatic figure of the people of ão Tomé and Príncipe and a "National Hero". On the 47th anniversary of independence, in July 2022, the São Tomé International Airport was renamed in his honour.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xavier, Nuno 1940 births 1976 deaths People from Mé-Zóchi District São Tomé and Príncipe aerospace engineers 20th-century São Tomé and Príncipe politicians Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party politicians Members of the National Assembly (São Tomé and Príncipe) Presidents of the National Assembly (São Tomé and Príncipe) Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1976 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Portugal Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents