Governors of Brazil

Colonial Period

1549-1553 - Tomé de Sousa (first governor general)

1553-1556 - Duarte da Costa (second governor general)

1566-1772 - Mem de Sá (third governor general)

1573-1578 - Luis Brito de Almeida (fourth governor general, rules the north)

1573-1578 - Antônio de Salema (fourth governor general, rules the south)

1578-1581 - Lourenço da Veiga (fifth governor general)

1583-1587 - Manuel Teles Barreto (sixth governor general)

1591-1602 - Francisco de Sousa (seventh governor general)

1602-1608 - Diogo Botelho (eighth governor general)

1608-1612 - Diogo de Meneses e Sequeira (nineth governor general)

1609-1611 - Francisco de Sousa (tenth governor general)

1612-1617 - Gaspar de Sousa (elenventh governor general)

1617-1621 - Luis de Sousa (twelveth governor general)

1621-1624 - Diogo de Mendonça Furtado (thirteenth governor general)

1624-1627 - Francisco de Moura (fourteenth governor general)

1627-1635 - Diogo Luís de Oliveira (fifteenth governor general)

1635-1639 - Pedro da Silva (sixteenth governor general)

1639 - Fernando de Mascarenhas (seventeenth governor general)

1640-1641 - Jorge de Mascarenhas (first viceroy)

1642-1646 - Antônio Teles da Silva (eighteenth governor general)

1647-1650 - Antônio Teles de Meneses (nineteenth governor general)

1650-1654 - João Rodrigues de Vasconcelos e Sousa (twentieth governor general)

1654-1657 - Jerônimo de Ataíde (twenty-first governor general)

1657-1663 - Francisco Barreto (twenty-second governor general)

1663-1667 - Vasco de Mascarenhas (second viceroy)

1667-1671 - Alexandre de Sousa Freire (twenty-third governor general)

1671-1675 - Afonso Furtado de Castro do Rio de Mendonça (twenty-fourth governor general)

1678-1682 - Roque da Costa Barreto (twenty-fifth governor general)

1682-1684 - Antônio de Sousa de Meneses (twenty-sixth governor general)

1684-1687 - Antônio Luís de Sousa Teles de Meneses (twenty-seventh governor general)

1687-1688 - Maria da Cunha (twenty-eighth governor general)

1690-1694 - Antônio Luís Gonçalves da Câmara Coutinho (twenty-nineth governor general)

1694-1702 - João de Lencastre (thirtieth governor general)

1702-1705 - Rodrigo da Costa (thirty-first governor general)

1705-1710 - Luís César de Meneses (thirty-second governor general)

1710-1711 - Lourenço de Almada (thirty-third governor general)

1711-1714 - Pedro de Vasconcelos de Sousa (thirty-fourth governor general)

1714-1718 - Pedro Antônio de Noronha Albuquerque e Sousa (third viceroy)

1718-1719 - Sancho de Faro e Sousa (thirty-fifth governor general)

1720-1735 - Vasco Fernandes César de Meneses (fourth viceroy)

1735-1749 - André de Melo e Castro (fifth viceroy)

1749-1754 - Luís Pedro de Carvalho de Meneses e Ataíde (sixth viceroy)

1754-1760 - Marcos de Noronha (seventh viceroy)

1760-1763 - Antônio de Almeida Soares e Portugal (eigth viceroy)

1763-1767 - Antônio Álvares da Cunha (nineth viceroy)

1767-1769 - Antônio Rolim de Moura Tavares (tenth viceroy)

1769-1779 - Luís de Almeida Portugal Soares (eleventh viceroy)

1779-1790 - Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa (twelveth viceroy)

1790-1801 - José Luís de Castro (thirteenth viceroy)

1801-1806 - Fernando José de Portugal e Castro (fourteenth viceroy)

1806-1808 - Marcos de Noronha e Brito (fifteenth viceroy)

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarve

1808-1816 - Prince Regent Dom João (Queen Dona Maria I)

Son of King Dom Pedro III and Queen Dona Maria I. Prince regent of Portugal from 1799 to 1816, and king from 1816 to 1826, becoming the twenty-fifth king of Portugal. He was the younger son of Queen Maria I, becoming heir on the death of his elder brother and taking power in 1792 as a result of the mental illness of his mother. In 1799 her illness was declared incurable, and he assumed the title of prince regent, which he used until her death in March 1816. Dom João married Carlota Joaquina, eldest daughter of Charles IV of Spain.

In November 1807, he moved with his family to Brazil one day before France invaded Portugal. In 1821 he returned to his homeland leaving behind his eldest son, the prince Dom Pedro, who was named Dom Pedro I of Brazil after proclaming its independence, becoming Brazil's first emperor.

1816-1821 - King Dom João VI

1821-1822 - Prince Regent Dom Pedro

Empire of Brazil

1822-1831 - Emperor Dom Pedro I

King Dom Pedro IV of Portugal and Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil. Twenty-eighth king of Portugal and first emperor of Brazil from 1822 to 1831. Son of King Dom João VI and Queen Dona Carlota Joaquina. Born in Lisboa, he came with his family to Brazil in November 1807, arriving in Rio de Janeiro in March 1808. In 1816 he married Dona Maria Leopoldina, archduchess of Austria. In 1821 his father went back to Portugal, but the prince remained in Brazil. In 1822, he received orders from the Portuguese court demanding his return to Portugal. But the prince, pressed by the Brazilians who signed a document containing 8.000 signatures asking him to remain in Brazil, decided to disobey the Portuguese orders and stay in Brazil, in a speech that was know as the "Fico".

Few months later he proclaimed the Independence of Brazil, on September 7, 1822. He was proclaimed emperor on October 12 and on December 1, he was then crowned emperor of Brazil. In 1831, he abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Dom Pedro de Alcântara, who was only 5 years old and returned to Portugal, where he died in 1834.

1831-1840 - Prince Regent Dom Pedro de Alcântara

1840-1889 - Emperor Dom Pedro II

Second emperor of Brazil from 1831 to 1889. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1825. Son of Dom Pedro I, prince of Portugal and Dona Leopoldina, archduchess of Austria. In 1831, his father abdicated the throne in his favour and returned to Portugal. He was only 5 years old at the time and three regents were appointed to rule in his place. He was crowned emperor in 1840 and received the name of Dom Pedro II. After the proclamation of republic, on November 15, 1889 he was deposed and went into exile in Europe. He died in Paris in 1892.

Republic of Brazil

1889-1891 - Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca (chief of the temporary government)

1891 - President Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca (first military president)

1891-1894 - President Marshal Floriano Peixoto (second military president)

1894-1898 - President Prudente de Moraes (first civilian president - direct elections)

1898-1902 - President Campos Sales (direct elections)

1902-1906 - President Rodrigues Alves (direct elections)

1906-1908- Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena (direct elections).

1908-1910 - Vice-President Nilo Peçanha takes office after the former president's death.

1910-1914 - Marshal Hermes Rodrigues da Fonseca (direct elections)

1914-1918- Wenceslau Brás Pereira Gomes (direct elections)

1918 - Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves (direct elections), dies before taking office.

1918-1919 - Vice-President Delfim Moreira da Costa Ribeiro takes office.

1919-1922 - Epitácio da Silva Pessoa (direct elections)

1922-1926 - Arthur da Silva Bernardes (direct elections)

1926-1930 - Washington Luís Pereira de Souza (direct elections)

1930 - A military revolution deposes Washington Luís and takes Getúlio Vargas to power.

1945-1946 - Getúlio Vargas is deposed. Minister José Linhares takes office.

1946-1950 - General Eurico Gaspar Dutra (direct elections)

1951-1954 - Getúlio Dorneles Vargas (direct elections)

1954 - Vargas commits suicide.

1955 - Vice-President João Café Filho takes office.

1956 - João Café Filho's health does not allow him to continue. He is substituted by Carlos Luz until Vice-President Nereu de Oliveira Ramos takes office.

1956-1961 - Juscelino Kubitscheck (direct elections)

1961 - Jânio da Silva Quadros succeeds JK, but resigns less than 7 months in power. Vice-President João Belchior Marques Goulart takes office.

1964 - João Belchior Marques Goulart is deposed. Pascoal Ranieri Mazzili takes ofice temporarily.

1964-1967 - Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco (elected by the Congress)

1967-1969 - Marshal Arthur da Costa e Silva (elected by the Congress)

1969 - Military ministers take office after President Costa e Silva is declared ill (Augusto Rademacker, Márcio de Souza Mello and Aurélio Lyra Tavares. General Emílio Garrastazu Médici, is elected by the Congress.

1969-1974 - President General Emílio Garrastazu Médici

1974-1979 - General Ernesto Geisel (elected by the Congress)

1979-1985 - João Baptista de Oliveira Figueirdo (elected by the Congress)

1985 - Tancredo Neves is elected by the congress but is taken to hospital one day before taking office. Vice-President José Sarney becomes president after Tancredo's death five weeks later.

1985-1990 - President José Sarney

1990-1992 - Fernando Collor de Melo (direct elections) 1992 - Brazilians revolt against Collor and launch a movement for his impeachment. The House of Deputies vote for the impeachment. Two hours later Collor resigns. Vice-President Itamar Franco takes office.

1992-1995 - President Itamar Franco

1995-1998 - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (direct elections) 1998 - 2002 - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso is re-elected.

2002 - President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva is elected. 2006 - President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected.

I got this information at:

1. Dicionário Prático Ilustrado Lello. Lello e Irmão Ed. O Porto, 1961.

2. Nova Enciclopédia Ilustrada Folha. Folha de São Paulo. São Paulo, 1996.