Eurico Gaspar Dutra
The straight-laced army general who steered post-war Brazil into a formal democracy, yet governed with a conservative hand that pleased Washington.
1883–1974 (age 91)·President of Brazil from 1946 to 1951·Birthday: May 18·The Lost Generation
Biography
Eurico Gaspar Dutra presided over a Brazil in transition. A career military officer who rose through the ranks, he was a central figure in the 1930 revolution that brought Getúlio Vargas to power, and later served as his Minister of War. When Vargas's authoritarian Estado Novo fell after World War II, it was Dutra, the disciplined soldier, who was elected as the first president of the new democratic republic. His administration was defined by a return to constitutional norms and a sharp right turn in policy. He aligned Brazil firmly with the United States at the dawn of the Cold War, outlawing the Brazilian Communist Party. Economically, his adherence to orthodox, liberal principles led to stagnation. Dutra's term was less about flamboyance and more about institution-building, setting a cautious, pro-Western course for a nation struggling to define its modern identity.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Eurico was born in 1883, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eurico Was Born
The biggest hits of 1883
Eurico's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1883Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1888Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1896Became a teenager
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1899Could drive
President: William McKinley
1901Could vote
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Turned 21
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 30
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 40
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 50
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 60
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 70
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 80
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1974Died at 91
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
Key Achievements
- Served as the first democratically elected President of Brazil after the fall of the Vargas dictatorship.
- Oversaw the drafting and promulgation of Brazil's 1946 Constitution, re-establishing democratic rights.
- As Minister of War, he was instrumental in Brazil's decision to send an expeditionary force to fight in World War II.
Did You Know?
He was an avid chess player and promoted the game during his presidency.
His surname, Dutra, is of Portuguese origin and is a common surname in Brazil.
The main airport in Cuiabá is named after him: Marechal Rondon International Airport, sometimes referenced with his name.
“Order and progress are the twin pillars of a modern nation.”
