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Óscar Carmona

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His Excellency
Marshal
Óscar Carmona
ComA ComSE ComC GCA
Official portrait, 1940
Official portrait, 1940
President of Portugal
In office
29 November 1926[1] – 18 April 1951
Prime Minister Himself
José Vicente de Freitas
Artur Ivens Ferraz
Domingos Oliveira
António de Oliveira Salazar
Preceded by Manuel Gomes da Costa
Succeeded by Francisco Craveiro Lopes
Prime Minister of Portugal
In office
9 July 1926 – 18 April 1928
President Himself
Deputy Abílio Passos e Sousa
Preceded by Manuel Gomes da Costa
Succeeded by José Vicente de Freitas
Minister of War of Portugal
In office
15 November – 18 December 1923
President Himself
Prime Minister Álvaro de Castro
Preceded by António Maria da Silva
Succeeded by António Ribeiro de Carvalho
In office
9 July – 29 November 1926
President Himself
Prime Minister Himself
Preceded by Manuel Gomes da Costa
Succeeded by Abílio Passos e Sousa
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal
In office
3 June – 6 June 1926
President José Mendes Cabeçadas
Prime Minister José Mendes Cabeçadas
Preceded by Armando da Gama Ochoa
Succeeded by Martinho Nobre de Melo
Interim
4 September – 24 September 1926
President Manuel Gomes da Costa
Prime Minister Manuel Gomes da Costa
Preceded by António Maria de Bettencourt Rodrigues
Succeeded by António Maria de Bettencourt Rodrigues
Personal details
Born António Óscar de Fragoso Carmona
24 November 1869
Lisbon, Portugal
Died 18 April 1951 (aged 81)
Lisbon, Portugal
Party National Union (1932–1951)
Spouse Maria do Carmo da Silva
Children 3
Alma mater Military Academy
Profession Army officer
Awards Order of Christ
Order of Aviz
Order of St. James of the Sword
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Portugal
Portuguese Republic
Estado Novo
Branch/service Portuguese Army
Years of service 1889–1951
Rank Marshal
Battles/wars 28 May 1926 coup d'état

António Óscar de Fragoso Carmona[2] ComA ComSE ComC GCA[3] (November 24, 1869 – April 18, 1951) was a Portuguese army officer and politician who served as president of Portugal from 1926 until his death in 1951. Before his presidency, he served as prime minister of Portugal from 1926 to 1928, he previously served as minister of war in late 1923 and in 1926, and as minister of foreign affairs in 1926.

Political origin

Carmona was a republican and a Freemason, and was a quick adherent to the proclamation of the Portuguese First Republic on 5 October 1910. He was, however, never a sympathizer of the democratic form of government, and – as he would later confess in an interview to António Ferro – he only voted for the first time at the 1933 constitutional referendum. During the First Republic, he briefly served as Minister of War in the cabinet of António Ginestal Machado in 1923. Unlike the popular marshal Gomes da Costa, Carmona had not seen action in World War I.

Presidency

Carmona was very active in the 28 May 1926 coup d'état that overthrew the First Republic. The first Council President, the commandant José Mendes Cabeçadas, a democratic sympathizer supported by the last republican president, Bernardino Machado, was succeeded in June by Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa. Carmona, who had been the Minister for Foreign Affairs between 3 June and 6 July, was the leader of the most conservative and authoritarian wing of the military regime, which considered the more moderate Gomes da Costa a liability. On 9 July, he led a countercoup together with general João José Sinel de Cordes, named himself both President and Prime Minister, and immediately assumed dictatorial powers. He was formally elected to the office in 1928, as the only candidate.

In 1928 Carmona appointed António de Oliveira Salazar as Minister of Finance. Impressed by Salazar's charisma and qualities, Carmona nominated Salazar as Prime Minister in 1932, and largely turned over control of the government to him.

In 1933, a new constitution officially established the "Estado Novo". On paper, the new document codified the dictatorial powers Carmona had exercised since 1926. However, in practice he left most of the day-to-day work of governing to Salazar. For all practical purposes, Carmona was now little more than a figurehead; Salazar held the real power. On paper, the president's power to dismiss Salazar was the only check on his power. However, Carmona mostly allowed Salazar a free hand. He was re-elected without opposition in 1935[4] and 1942 for seven-year terms. In 1935, he signed the law that forbade Freemasonry in Portugal reluctantly, due to his own Freemason past.

Although the democratic opposition was allowed to contest elections after World War II, Carmona was not on friendly terms with it. When the opposition demanded that the elections be delayed in order to give them more time to organize, Carmona turned them down.

However, there were widespread rumors that Carmona supported the failed military uprising in 1947, which was led by general José Marques Godinho to overthrow Salazar, under the condition that he would remain as President of the Republic. Probably to end these rumors, Carmona finally accepted the title of Marshal.

In 1949, Carmona, 79 years old, sought his fourth term as president. For the first time, he actually faced an opponent in General José Norton de Matos. However, it soon became apparent that Salazar would not allow Matos to actually run a campaign. The persecution grew so severe that Matos pulled out of the race on 12 February, handing Carmona another term.

Carmona died two years later, in 1951, after 24 years as the President of the Republic. He was buried in the Church of Santa Engrácia, National Pantheon, in Lisbon.

Personal life

He was born to Maria Inês Côrte-Real de Melo Fragoso[5] and Alvaro Rosario Teixeira Carmona, a Portuguese Naval officer from Felgueiras, based in Brazil and part of the Portuguese Military Attache's staff in Brazil. In January 1914, Carmona married Maria do Carmo Ferreira da Silva (Chaves, 28 September 1878 – 13 March 1956), daughter of Germano da Silva and wife Engrácia de Jesus. With this marriage, he legitimized their three children.

He was the grand-uncle of the former Mayor of Lisbon Carmona Rodrigues (2004–2007). He was also the cousin of Brazilian President Augusto Tasso Fragoso.[6]

His personal library was purchased by the National Library of Australia in 1967/8.[7]

Honours

Publications

Carmona wrote a book of rules for the Cavalry School in 1913.

Legacy

The town of Uíge, Angola, used to be called Carmona after him.[10] It had that name until 1975 when the Portuguese Overseas Province of Angola became independent. He was also portrayed in the Angolan escudo banknote issue of 1972.[11]

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Braga, Paulo Drumond (2010). "Os Presidentes da República Portuguesa: sociologia de uma função".
  2. Back to citation European Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔni.u ˈɔʃkɐɾ ðɨ fɾɐˈɣozu kɐɾˈmonɐ, ɐ̃ˈtɔnju -].
  3. Back to citation "Cidadãos nacionais agraciados com ordens portuguesas" [Nationals with portuguese orders]. Gran Master's official website for the honorific orders (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  4. Back to citation His second term began on 15 April 1928 and should last four years. The constitution which took effect on 11 April 1933 prolonged the term to seven years. So there was technically an unconstitutional serving of the term between 15 April 1932 and 11 April 1933. After his reelection 1935 his oath of office had to be postponed due to illness from 15 April to 26 April 1935, eleven days in which prime minister Salazar took over his duties. See New York Times, 16 April and 27 April 1935.
  5. Back to citation "Óscar Carmona - Biografia". museu.presidencia.pt. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  6. Back to citation Augusto Tasso Fragoso
  7. Back to citation Carmona Collection National Library of Australia
  8. Back to citation occurrence 8.0 Back to citation occurrence 8.1 Back to citation occurrence 8.2 Back to citation occurrence 8.3 Back to citation occurrence 8.4 "Cidadãos Nacionais Agraciados com Ordens". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  9. Back to citation Jefatura del Estado: "DECRETO nombrando Caballero de la Orden Imperial de las Flechas Rojas, otorgádole el Gran Collar, a S. E. el Presidente de la República Portuguesa, General Antonio Oscar de Fragoso Carmona" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado núm. 139, de 19 de mayo de 1939. p. 2719. ISSN 0212-033X.
  10. Back to citation Angola-Carmona (Viagem ao Passado)-Kandando Angola on YouTube, a film of Carmona, Portuguese Angola (before 1975)
  11. Back to citation Angola - Banco de Angola 24.11.1972 "Marechal Carmona" Issue Bank Note Museum
Preceded by
King of Sweden
Gustaf V 		The oldest current head of state
29 October 1950 - 18 April 1951 		Succeeded by
President of Finland
Juho Kusti Paasikivi
  • Ancestors of António Óscar Fragoso Carmona
  • 16. António José Machado Carmona
  • 8. Henrique Luís Machado Carmona
  • 17. (unknown mother)
  • 4. Leonel Joaquim Machado de Azevedo Carmona
  • 18. Manuel José Pereira
  • 9. Maria Madalena Pereira do Amaral
  • 19. Ana Maria do Amaral e Azevedo
  • 2. Inácio Maria Machado de Morais Carmona
  • 20.
  • 10. José de Morais Carneiro
  • 21.
  • 5. Maria Emília das Lágrimas de Morais Carneiro
  • 22.
  • 11. Maria Joana da Fonseca
  • 23.
  • 1. António Óscar Fragoso Carmona
  • 24.
  • 12. João Joaquim de Melo Sameiro
  • 25.
  • 6. António Manuel de Melo Fragoso de Vila-Lobos
  • 26.
  • 13. Ana Joaquina de Brito Fragoso
  • 27.
  • 3. Maria Inês de Melo Fragoso Corte-Real
  • 28.
  • 14. João José de Melo Corte-Real
  • 29.
  • 7. Inês Henriqueta de Melo Corte-Real
  • 30.
  • 15. Antónia Clementina Jordão
  • 31.
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