Rondon Pacheco

Rondon Pacheco (31 July 1919 – 4 July 2016) was a Brazilian politician. Pacheco served as Chief of Staff of Brazil to President Artur da Costa e Silva, from 1967 to 1969 during the Brazilian military government. In 1971, Pacheco was appointed Governor of his home state of Minas Gerais by President Emílio Garrastazu Médici.[1] He held the office of Governor from 1971 until 1975.[1][2][3]

Rondon Pacheco
Pacheco attending a ceremony at the Palácio da Liberdade in 2009
Governor of Minas Gerais
In office
15 March 1971 – 15 March 1975
Preceded byIsrael Pinheiro da Silva
Succeeded byAureliano Chaves
Chief of Staff of the Presidency of Brazil
In office
15 March 1967 – 30 October 1969
PresidentArtur da Costa e Silva
Preceded byLuís Augusto Fraga Navarro de Brito
Succeeded byJoão Leitão de Abreu
Personal details
Born(1919-07-31)31 July 1919
Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died4 July 2016(2016-07-04) (aged 96)
Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Political partyUDN
ARENA
PDS
PSDB
Spouse(s)Marina de Freitas Pacheco
ProfessionPolitician

Biography

Pacheco was born in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, on 31 July 1919.[1] He studied law at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).[2] He credited a class speech he delivered at UFMG in 1943 with sparking his interest in politics.[2]

Political career

In 1947, Pacheco was elected to the state Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais as a member of the National Democratic Union (UDN).[2] Three years later, in 1950, he was elected to the federal Chamber of Deputies in Rio de Janeiro, which was still the national capital at the time.[1][2]

President Artur da Costa e Silva, the leader of the Brazilian military government, appointed Pacheco as his Chief of Staff from March 1967 until October 1969. The Chief of Staff is a senior aide to the Brazilian president and a member of the Cabinet of Brazil.

President Emílio Garrastazu Médici appointed Pacheco as the Governor of Minas Gerais from 1971 until 1975.[1][3] In 1973, the state government under Governor Pacheco signed an agreement with Fiat Automobiles to open an automotive plant in the city of Betim, near Belo Horizonte.[1][2] The Fiat plant opened in 1976.[1]

Pacheco joined the Democratic Social Party (PDS) in 1976.[2] He endorsed the candidacy of PMDB presidential candidate, Tancredo Neves, in the 1985 election.[2] Pacheco left politics in 1986 after an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the Federal Senate.[2][3]

A biographical documentary film on Pacheco's life, Algodão entre Espelhos, was released in 2012.[2]

Pacheco had been hospitalized for pneumonia at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro from 9 June until 12 June 2016.[1] He was then transferred to a hospital in his hometown of Uberlândia from 12 June until he was discharged from that facility on 29 June 2016.[1] Rondon Pacheco died in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais on 4 July 2016, at the age of 96.[1] He was survived by his wife, Marina de Freitas Pacheco, and two daughters, Vera and Maria Vitória.[2] Their son died in an accident during the late 1960s.[3]

Rondon Pacheco's funeral was held at the Palácio dos Leões (Palace of the Lions) in Uberlândia, with burial in the cemitério São Pedro.[2][3]

Pacheco was the second former Governor of Minas Gerais to die in less than two months, following the death of Hélio Garcia on 6 June 2016.[1][3][4]

References
  1. "Morre ex-governador de Minas Gerais Rondon Pacheco". ISTOÉ. 2016-07-04. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  2. Tavares, Renata (2016-07-04). "Ex-governador de MG e ministro durante a ditadura, Rondon Pacheco morre aos 96". Universo Online. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  3. Viegas, Fernanda (2016-07-04). "Morre ex-governador de Minas Gerais Rondon Pacheco". O Tempo. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  4. "Hélio Garcia, ex-governador de Minas Gerais, morre em Belo Horizonte". G1. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
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