Euler Bentes Monteiro

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Bentes and the second or paternal family name is Monteiro.
Euler Bentes Monteiro
Born(1917-01-15)15 January 1917
Rio de Janeiro, Federal District, Brazil
Died23 July 2002(2002-07-23) (aged 85)
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Allegiance Brazil
Service / branch Brazilian Army
RankGeneral
Alma materMilitary School of Realengo

Euler Bentes Monteiro (15 January 1917 – 23 July 2002)[1] was a Brazilian military officer.

Career

In 1933 he entered the Military School of Realengo. Already a captain, in 1945 he supported the conspiracy against Getúlio Vargas.[2]

In 1950 he defended the state oil monopoly in the elections to the Military Club, joining the nationalist list.[2] He graduated from the Escola Superior de Guerra, class of 1961.[3] In 1964, he refused to participate in the coup d'état that deposed João Goulart.[2] Even so, he became a brigadier general in 1965, and two years later he was appointed by General Albuquerque Lima superintendent of the Sudene,[2] position he held from 31 March 1967 to 27 January 1969.[4]

Between 30 November 1966 and 26 March 1967, he was in command of the Escola de Aperfeiçoamento de Oficiais (EsAO, Officers' Training School) of Río de Janeiro.[5]

With the inauguration of Ernesto Geisel in 1974, he was promoted to General of the Army. While he was head of the Artillery Department, he created the state company IMBEL.[2]

A front of opposition to the military dictatorship, articulated by Severo Gomes,[2] led him to run for president of Brazil, for the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) in the indirect election of 1978, with Senator Paulo Brossard as vice president.[6] He was defeated by General João Figueiredo, by 355 votes against 226.[7][8]

During the Figueiredo government he was reprimanded by the Brazilian Army for having signed the manifesto Em defesa da Nação ameaçada ("In defense of the threatened Nation"), which called for effective actions to recover the national identity and regain control of the country's destiny. Other personalities that signed the document, in addition to Bentes Monteiro, include Ariano Suassuna, Barbosa Lima Sobrinho and Fernando Henrique Cardoso.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Morre general que tentou ser presidente na ditadura" [General who tried to be president during the dictatorship dies]. O Estado de S. Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 July 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "General Euler Bentes, candidato a presidente em 1978, morre no Rio" [General Euler Bentes, candidate for president in 1978, dies in Rio]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 July 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Conselho Superior de Guerra - turma de 1961" [Superior War Council - class of 1961]. Escola Superior de Guerra (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  4. ^ "Os militares: teoria e prática do poder" [The military: theory and practice of power]. Revista Veja (in Brazilian Portuguese). 1 April 1970. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Antigos Comandantes da EsAO" [Former EsAO Commanders] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Escola de Aperfeiçoamento de Oficiais. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  6. ^ "El general Bentes, candidato presidencial de la oposición brasileña" [General Bentes, presidential candidate of the Brazilian opposition]. El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1978. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Abertura lenta, gradual e insegura" [A slow, gradual and insecure opening]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  8. ^ "ARENA dá a vitória a Figueiredo" [ARENA gives victory to Figueiredo]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). São Paulo. 16 January 1978. p. 4.