João Punaro Bley
Encyclopedia
João Punaro Bley was a Brazil
ian military and public administrator.
He graduated from the Minas Gerais
Military School as a Brazilian Army
lieutenant in 1921. Although he was sympathetic to the rebellion of young officers called Movimento Tenentista ('Lieutenants' Movement') of 1922, he did not take part. In 1930 he joined the national rebellion against the Constitutional Brazilian government that began when the candidate who lost the 1930 election for president
, Getulio Vargas
, alleged fraud and decided to take power by force. João Punaro Bley joined the lines of the rebel Colonel Otávio Campos do Amaral and took part on the capture of Vitória (capital city of the state of Espírito Santo
). As Octávio Campos do Amaral marched towards Rio de Janeiro
, João Punaro Bley occupied the office of that state as part of a governing junta also formed by João Manuel de Carvalho and Afonso Correia Lírio.
This governing Junta lasted for a few days, whereupon on November 22, 1930 João Punaro Bley was appointed Federal Interventor in Espirito Santo for an undetermined time by the newly-installed de facto president of Brazil, Getulio Vargas.
In 1934, following the re-constitutionalization of Brazil, João Punaro Bley was elected legal governor for the 1935-1939 term (he was also the first chief of the executive power of Espirito Santo to take the title of governor instead of president). However, he was given Federal powers once again in 1937 and remained in office until 1943.
When Bley took office, the state of Espirito Santo was in a poor economic situation, as the Wall Street Crash in 1929 directly affected the monoculture of coffee, the main export. In order to lower coffee prices in the consumer markets, and to force the farmers to diversify the state's agriculture, Bley sent troops to invade the farms and to uproot and burn as much coffee plants as possible. Against all odds, the bad economic situation of the state was quickly overcome and all the debts of the state were paid.
João Punaro Bley wanted to eliminate the political influence of the big landowner farmers (like the family Monteiro) over the state. First, he encouraged the internal peasant migration towards the underpopulated regions in the north of the state, which depleted the coffee plantations of workers; then Bley boosted the industrialization of the state and the development of urban business activities. Both decisions demanded large investiment to improve the state's infrastructure (power, drinking water, sewage, roads and railroads to link the south and the north of the state, as well to connect the state to the rest of the country). Also, against the vindictive landowner's mobs of gunmen ("jagunços" as they were known), Bley invested in creating a regular professional state police and built the state's headquarters of Maruipe and new, and more secure, state jails.
Bley created the first university of Espirito Santo, which initially offered courses in Odontology, Law and Pharmacy.
It was also on Bley's time in office that the mining company Vale do Rio Doce (still owned by the Brazilian government) started construction of a railway linking the iron mining fields in Minas Gerais to the port of Vitória, from where the iron was distributed to other states or exported overseas.
João Punaro Bley resigned from office on 21 January 1943. His powers were transferred to his substitute, Jones dos Santos Neves. João Punaro Bley worked as commerce director at the Vale do Rio Doce until 1947, then he resumed his military career, from which he retired in 1962.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian military and public administrator.
He graduated from the Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
Military School as a Brazilian Army
Brazilian Army
The Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military. The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts, mostly in South America and during the 19th century, such as the Brazilian War of Independence , Argentina-Brazil War , War of the Farrapos , Platine War , Uruguayan War ...
lieutenant in 1921. Although he was sympathetic to the rebellion of young officers called Movimento Tenentista ('Lieutenants' Movement') of 1922, he did not take part. In 1930 he joined the national rebellion against the Constitutional Brazilian government that began when the candidate who lost the 1930 election for president
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
, Getulio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
, alleged fraud and decided to take power by force. João Punaro Bley joined the lines of the rebel Colonel Otávio Campos do Amaral and took part on the capture of Vitória (capital city of the state of Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
). As Octávio Campos do Amaral marched towards Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, João Punaro Bley occupied the office of that state as part of a governing junta also formed by João Manuel de Carvalho and Afonso Correia Lírio.
This governing Junta lasted for a few days, whereupon on November 22, 1930 João Punaro Bley was appointed Federal Interventor in Espirito Santo for an undetermined time by the newly-installed de facto president of Brazil, Getulio Vargas.
In 1934, following the re-constitutionalization of Brazil, João Punaro Bley was elected legal governor for the 1935-1939 term (he was also the first chief of the executive power of Espirito Santo to take the title of governor instead of president). However, he was given Federal powers once again in 1937 and remained in office until 1943.
When Bley took office, the state of Espirito Santo was in a poor economic situation, as the Wall Street Crash in 1929 directly affected the monoculture of coffee, the main export. In order to lower coffee prices in the consumer markets, and to force the farmers to diversify the state's agriculture, Bley sent troops to invade the farms and to uproot and burn as much coffee plants as possible. Against all odds, the bad economic situation of the state was quickly overcome and all the debts of the state were paid.
João Punaro Bley wanted to eliminate the political influence of the big landowner farmers (like the family Monteiro) over the state. First, he encouraged the internal peasant migration towards the underpopulated regions in the north of the state, which depleted the coffee plantations of workers; then Bley boosted the industrialization of the state and the development of urban business activities. Both decisions demanded large investiment to improve the state's infrastructure (power, drinking water, sewage, roads and railroads to link the south and the north of the state, as well to connect the state to the rest of the country). Also, against the vindictive landowner's mobs of gunmen ("jagunços" as they were known), Bley invested in creating a regular professional state police and built the state's headquarters of Maruipe and new, and more secure, state jails.
Bley created the first university of Espirito Santo, which initially offered courses in Odontology, Law and Pharmacy.
It was also on Bley's time in office that the mining company Vale do Rio Doce (still owned by the Brazilian government) started construction of a railway linking the iron mining fields in Minas Gerais to the port of Vitória, from where the iron was distributed to other states or exported overseas.
João Punaro Bley resigned from office on 21 January 1943. His powers were transferred to his substitute, Jones dos Santos Neves. João Punaro Bley worked as commerce director at the Vale do Rio Doce until 1947, then he resumed his military career, from which he retired in 1962.