Preceded by Joao Suassuna Profession Politician | Nationality Brazilian Name Joao Cavalcanti | |
 | ||
Succeeded by Alvaro Pereira de Carvalho Born 28 January 1878
Umbuzeiro, Brazil ( 1878-01-28 ) Died 26 July 1930(1930-07-26) (aged 52)
Recife, Brazil Political party Partido Republicano da Paraiba | ||
A Morte de João Pessoa e a Revolução de 1930
Joao Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque (January 24, 1878 – July 26, 1930), was the governor of Paraiba between 1928 and 1930.
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Life and career
Pessoa was born on January 24, 1878, at Umbuzeiro, Paraiba, Brazil. He enrolled at the Military Academy of Praia Vermelha in 1895, but dropped out before completing the course. He joined the Faculdade de Direito do Recife (Faculty of Law of Recife) in 1899, graduating in 1904. From 1909, he worked as a lawyer in Rio de Janeiro, in the Ministry of Finance and the Navy. In 1919, Epitacio Pessoa, Joao Pessoa's uncle, became President of Brazil, and Joao was made a minister of the Supremo Tribunal Militar (Supreme Military Court).
In 1928, Joao Pessoa was elected governor of Paraiba, in which role he attempted to bring about reform of the state's political and administrative structure, and imposed taxes on trade conducted between Paraiba and the port of Recife. In the 1930 presidential elections, Pessoa refused to support the Republican candidate, Julio Prestes, and accepted an invitation to become vice-presidential candidate on the ticket of Getulio Vargas. Prestes won the election, and one of his supporters, Colonel Jose Pereira Lima, led a revolt against Pessoa's state government, with the cooperation of the federal government. Pessoa responded by ordering raids on the homes and offices of suspected rebel sympathizers; during one such raid on the house of Joao Duarte Dantas, an ally of Pereira, police discovered intimate letters from Dantas' mistress, which were subsequently published in the state press.
Death
On July 26, 1930, Pessoa was on an official visit to Recife when he was shot and killed by an infuriated Dantas. The assassination stirred up a wave of bad feeling toward the federal government and the outgoing president Washington Luis, who was accused of bearing the "moral responsibility". Not long after Pessoa's death, Washington Luis was overthrown, and Getulio Vargas installed as president.
Legacy
The state capital, formerly Parahyba, was renamed Joao Pessoa in September 1930. Pessoa is also commemorated in the Paraiba state flag, which features the word Nego ("I deny"), a reference to Pessoa's refusal to accept Julio Prestes as president. The colors of the flag, red and black, symbolize the blood shed during the assassination and the period of mourning which followed.