Américo Tomás
Américo Tomás by Henrique Medina
13th President of Portugal (5th since the 1926 coup d'état) (3rd of the Estado Novo)
In office August 9, 1958 – April 25, 1974
Prime Minister	António de Oliveira Salazar Marcello Caetano
Preceded by	Francisco Craveiro Lopes
Succeeded by	National Salvation Junta António de Spínola
Minister for the Navy
In office September 6, 1944 – August 14, 1958
Prime Minister	António de Oliveira Salazar
Preceded by	Mesquita Guimarães
Succeeded by	Mendonça Dias
Born	November 19, 1894(1894-11-19) Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	18 September 1987 (aged 92) Cascais, Portuguese Republic
Political party	National Union (later renamed People's National Action)
Spouse(s)	Gertrudes Ribeiro da Costa, Mrs. Thomaz
Children	Maria Natália and Maria Madalena
Occupation	Naval officer (Rear Admiral)

Américo de Deus Rodrigues Tomás, GCC, GOA, GOSE (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈmɛɾiku dɨ ˈdeuʃ ʁuˈdɾiɡɨʃ tuˈmaʃ]), also spelled Américo Thomaz (Lisbon, November 19, 1894 - Cascais, September 18, 1987) was a Portuguese admiral and politician. He was the son of António Rodrigues Tomás (b. Ferreira do Zêzere, ca. 1870) and his wife was (m. Lisbon, Alcântara) Maria da Assunção Marques (b. Lisbon, Alcântara, ca. 1874).

Background

In October 1922, Tomás married Gertrudes Ribeiro da Costa (Lisbon, February 23, 1894 - May 25, 1991), daughter of António José da Costa and wife Adelaide do Carmo Ribeiro, by whom he had two daughters: Maria Natália Rodrigues Tomás, unmarried and without issue, and Maria Madalena Rodrigues Tomás, married to writer and historian Antero de Figueiredo, and had issue.

Career

Rear Admiral Américo Tomás

Tomás became minister of Navy in 1944. He was elected president of the Portuguese Republic in 1958, and re-elected in 1965 and 1972. During this time, Portugal was ruled by the authoritarian regime of António de Oliveira Salazar and the president of the republic had only a figurative role. The pompous style with which he was referred to by the compliant state media (The Most Excellent Lord, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Rear-Admiral Américo de Deus Thomaz), as contrasted by the virtual powerlessness of his office under Salazar, made him a target of frequent jokes. Just once Tomás used his presidential prerogative: to dismiss Salazar when he became incapacitated by a severe stroke in September, 1968. Tomás appointed Marcello Caetano to replace Salazar as prime minister. He took a much more active role in the government after Caetano took power, and became the rallying point for hard-liners who thought that even Caetano's cosmetic reforms went too far.

Overthrow and death

When in April 25, 1974, the "Carnation Revolution" deposed Caetano, Tomás was also overthrown and sent to exile in Brazil until 1980, when he returned to Portugal.

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