Bernardino Machado
A Portuguese statesman whose presidency was bookended by political turmoil, embodying the fragile democracy of his nation's First Republic.
1851–1944 (age 93)·Portuguese president and politician·Birthday: March 28
Biography
Bernardino Machado lived a political life of remarkable longevity and relentless turbulence. A scholar and diplomat before entering the fractious arena of Portuguese politics, he served as a minister, prime minister, and finally president, first elected in 1915. His tenures were defined by the immense pressures of World War I neutrality debates, economic crisis, and relentless military intrigue. A committed democrat, he was ultimately powerless to prevent the instability that consumed the First Republic. Ousted by a coup in 1917, he returned to the presidency nearly a decade later, only to be deposed again within months by the military revolt that would install the decades-long dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar. Machado's career stands as a testament to the noble, failed struggle for parliamentary stability in pre-war Portugal.
#1 When Bernardino Was Born
The biggest hits of 1851
Bernardino's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1851Born
1856Started school
1864Became a teenager
President: Abraham Lincoln
1867Could drive
President: Andrew Johnson
1869Could vote
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1872Turned 21
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Turned 30
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 40
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 50
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 60
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 70
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 80
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1944Died at 93
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
Key Achievements
- Served two non-consecutive terms as President of Portugal, from 1915 to 1917 and 1925 to 1926.
- Held numerous cabinet positions including Minister of Public Works and Foreign Minister prior to his presidency.
- Was a prominent figure in the Portuguese Republican Party and a professor at the University of Coimbra.
Did You Know?
He was born in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, to Portuguese parents.
He lived to be 93, witnessing the fall of the monarchy, the entire First Republic, and the rise of the Salazar regime.
Following the 1926 coup that ended his presidency, he went into exile in France.
“A República é a forma de governo que mais exige virtude dos cidadãos.”
