Maria Teresa Fontela Goulart
Encyclopedia
Maria Teresa Fontela Goulart (born August 23, 1940) was the wife of the 24th president of Brazil
, João Goulart
, and served as First Lady
during his presidency from 1961 until 1964, when he was deposed by a military-led coup d'état.
, Rio Grande do Sul
. She was educated at the Colégio Metodista Americano (American Methodist School), a traditional boarding school
in Porto Alegre
. Her parents lived next door to Jango in São Borja. According to her, despite the fact that they were neighbors, she only met him personally at the age of 14, when Dinarte Dornelles, uncle of then President Getúlio Vargas
, asked her to deliver a letter to Jango, which was the Minister of Labour and Employment at the time. Maria Teresa tried not to fall in love for Jango, because she though someone as important as him would not be interested in her.
Maria Teresa encountered Jango once again at her debutante
ball, which happened in the house of her aunt América Fontela, the wife of Vargas' brother Spartacus Dornelles, in Rio de Janeiro
. One of América's daughter and, thus, Maria Teresa's cousin is Yara Vargas, which later helped Leonel Brizola
establish the Democratic Labour Party
and was elected for Rio Grande do Sul
's Chamber of Deputies.
of Leonel Brizola, which was married to Jango's sister Neusa.
In 1960, Jango was re-elected Vice President, which made Maria Teresa serve as Second Lady from 1955 to 1961, when Jânio Quadros
resigned from the Presidency. When her husband assumed office, Maria Teresa became the youngest First Lady of the history of Brazil, at 21 years old.
Maria Teresa and Jango had two children: the former congressman João Vicente and the historian Deize. When she served as Second Lady, her family lived in the Chopin Building, next to Copacabana Palace
in Rio de Janeiro. During the time she served as First Lady, she lived in the Granja do Torto
in the then recently-built capital Brasília
. She lived in Palácio da Alvorada
, the official residence
, for six months, but preferred the Granja do Torto because she liked horse racing
.
. One day, at breakfast, she was told that Jânio Quadros resigned and that her husband would become the new President. Shortly after, journalists started calling incessantly to her room.
Quadros advised her to stay at the hotel until the situation with the military ministers, which refused to recognize Jango as the new President because of his connections with members of the Brazilian Communist Party
and the Brazilian Socialist Party
, was solved. Maria Teresa only returned to Brazil when her husband assumed the Presidency.
As First Lady, Maria Teresa was responsible for the foundation of the headquarters of the Legião Brasileira de Assistência (Brazilian Legion of Aid) -- an organization founded in 1942 by then First Lady Darcy Vargas to help poor families—in Brasília. She hosted a large number of charitable events, being responsible for bringing members of the high society to participate in such events.
Maria Teresa chose to wear haute couture
outfits to public events, and became a fashion icon, being compared to Jacqueline Kennedy and appearing in the cover of a large number of magazines. Her personal stylist was Dener Pamplona de Abreu. Prior to the coup, she was named one of the ten most beautiful women in the world by People
magazine.
. Later, Denise and João Vicente moved to London
, while Jango and Maria Teresa went to Argentina
, where Jango had business affairs. Jango died in the city of Mercedes in the night of December 6, 1976. The official version of his death is that he suffered a heart attack. This is uncertain once his body was not submitted to an autopsy
and the pediatrician who declared his death wrote only the Spanish
word enfermedad (sickness) as the causa mortis
on his medical chart. He was buried in his native São Borja. Thirty thousand people participated in his funeral, whose media coverage was censored by the military regime. Maria Teresa and her children were forbidden to return to Brazil until 1979's Amnesty law.
On November 15, 2008, Maria Teresa and Jango received political amnesty
from the Federal Government. The former First Lady will receive an indemnification of R$
644,000 (around US$
322,000) to be paid in pensions of R$ 5,425 (around US$ 2,712) per month for Jango being restrained from practicing his job as a Lawyer. She will also receive an indemnification of R$ 100,000 (around US$ 50,000) for the 15 years in which her family was forbidden to return to Brazil.
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...
, João Goulart
João Goulart
João Belchior Marques Goulart was a Brazilian politician and the 24th President of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on April 1, 1964. He is considered to have been the last left-wing President of the country until Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2003.-Name:João Goulart is...
, and served as First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
during his presidency from 1961 until 1964, when he was deposed by a military-led coup d'état.
Early life
Maria Teresa was born on August 23, 1940 in São BorjaSão Borja
São Borja is a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. São Borja is the oldest municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and was founded in 1682 by the Jesuits as the first of the Seven Points of the Missions, and named São Francisco de Borja, in honor of Saint Francis...
, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
. She was educated at the Colégio Metodista Americano (American Methodist School), a traditional boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
. Her parents lived next door to Jango in São Borja. According to her, despite the fact that they were neighbors, she only met him personally at the age of 14, when Dinarte Dornelles, uncle of then President Getúlio 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...
, asked her to deliver a letter to Jango, which was the Minister of Labour and Employment at the time. Maria Teresa tried not to fall in love for Jango, because she though someone as important as him would not be interested in her.
Maria Teresa encountered Jango once again at her debutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
ball, which happened in the house of her aunt América Fontela, the wife of Vargas' brother Spartacus Dornelles, in 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...
. One of América's daughter and, thus, Maria Teresa's cousin is Yara Vargas, which later helped Leonel Brizola
Leonel Brizola
Leonel de Moura Brizola was a Brazilian politician. Launched in politics by Getúlio Vargas, Brizola was the only politician to serve as governor of two different states in the whole history of Brazil. In 1959 he was elected governor of Rio Grande do Sul, and in 1982 and 1990 he was elected...
establish the Democratic Labour Party
Democratic Labour Party (Brazil)
The Democratic Labour Party is a populist, democratic socialist political party of Brazil. It was founded in 1979 by left-wing leader Leonel Brizola as an attempt to reorganize the Brazilian leftist forces during the end of the Brazilian military dictatorship...
and was elected for Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
's Chamber of Deputies.
Marriage and children
In 1955, when Maria Teresa finished her studies, she and Jango started dating. They got married in the following year when Maria Teresa was 17 and Jango was competing the Vice Presidency. At that time, there were elections for both President and Vice President in Brazil and Jango would receive more votes than Juscelino Kubitschek, which was elected President. After her marriage, Maria Teresa became sister-in-lawSister-in-law
A sister-in-law is the sister of one's spouse, the wife of one's sibling, or sometimes the wife of one's spouse's sibling...
of Leonel Brizola, which was married to Jango's sister Neusa.
In 1960, Jango was re-elected Vice President, which made Maria Teresa serve as Second Lady from 1955 to 1961, when Jânio Quadros
Jânio Quadros
Jânio da Silva Quadros , , was a Brazilian politician who served as President of Brazil for only 7 months in 1961.-Career:...
resigned from the Presidency. When her husband assumed office, Maria Teresa became the youngest First Lady of the history of Brazil, at 21 years old.
Maria Teresa and Jango had two children: the former congressman João Vicente and the historian Deize. When she served as Second Lady, her family lived in the Chopin Building, next to Copacabana Palace
Copacabana Palace
The Copacabana Palace Hotel is the most famous and luxurious hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's considered South America's premier hotel, having received the rich and famous for the past 80 years. It faces the Copacabana Beach. It consists of an 8-storey main building and a 14-story annex. The...
in Rio de Janeiro. During the time she served as First Lady, she lived in the Granja do Torto
Granja do Torto
The Granja do Torto is an official residence maintained by the Presidency of Brazil. It is a property with ranch-style features, located on the outskirts of the capital city of Brasília...
in the then recently-built capital Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
. She lived in Palácio da Alvorada
Palácio da Alvorada
The Palácio da Alvorada is the official residence of the President of Brazil. The palace was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated on June 30, 1958.The name comes from the quote of Juscelino Kubitschek:or, in English:-Architecture:...
, the official residence
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
, for six months, but preferred the Granja do Torto because she liked horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Life as First Lady
In August 1961, Maria Teresa and her children were guests in a Spanish hotel owned by a friend of the Goulart family, while her husband was in a diplomatic mission in the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. One day, at breakfast, she was told that Jânio Quadros resigned and that her husband would become the new President. Shortly after, journalists started calling incessantly to her room.
Quadros advised her to stay at the hotel until the situation with the military ministers, which refused to recognize Jango as the new President because of his connections with members of the Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party is the oldest political party still active in Brazil, founded in 1922, and one of the only Brazilian parties with a Stalinist orientation...
and the Brazilian Socialist Party
Brazilian Socialist Party
The Brazilian Socialist Party , is a political party in Brazil. It was founded in 1947, before being abolished by the military regime in 1965 and re-organized in 1985 with the re-democratization of Brazil. It elected six Governors in 2010, becoming the second largest party in number of state...
, was solved. Maria Teresa only returned to Brazil when her husband assumed the Presidency.
As First Lady, Maria Teresa was responsible for the foundation of the headquarters of the Legião Brasileira de Assistência (Brazilian Legion of Aid) -- an organization founded in 1942 by then First Lady Darcy Vargas to help poor families—in Brasília. She hosted a large number of charitable events, being responsible for bringing members of the high society to participate in such events.
Maria Teresa chose to wear haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
outfits to public events, and became a fashion icon, being compared to Jacqueline Kennedy and appearing in the cover of a large number of magazines. Her personal stylist was Dener Pamplona de Abreu. Prior to the coup, she was named one of the ten most beautiful women in the world by People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine.
Life in exile
After the deposition of Jango on April 1, 1964 by the military, the Goulart family was forced to live in exile. Jango, Maria Teresa and their children lived in UruguayUruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. Later, Denise and João Vicente moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, while Jango and Maria Teresa went to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where Jango had business affairs. Jango died in the city of Mercedes in the night of December 6, 1976. The official version of his death is that he suffered a heart attack. This is uncertain once his body was not submitted to an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
and the pediatrician who declared his death wrote only the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word enfermedad (sickness) as the causa mortis
Causa Mortis
Causa Mortis is a satiric play by Jacob M. Appel that lampoons the modern medical establishment. The plot focuses on a woman, Eleanor, whose brain surgeon has accidentally left his watch in her skull. Her daughters urge her to have the timepiece extracted before it harms her, but every surgeon...
on his medical chart. He was buried in his native São Borja. Thirty thousand people participated in his funeral, whose media coverage was censored by the military regime. Maria Teresa and her children were forbidden to return to Brazil until 1979's Amnesty law.
Amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
from the Federal Government. The former First Lady will receive an indemnification of R$
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
644,000 (around US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
322,000) to be paid in pensions of R$ 5,425 (around US$ 2,712) per month for Jango being restrained from practicing his job as a Lawyer. She will also receive an indemnification of R$ 100,000 (around US$ 50,000) for the 15 years in which her family was forbidden to return to Brazil.