Auro de Moura Andrade

Auro Soares de Moura Andrade (19 September 1915 – 29 May 1982), commonly known as Auro de Moura Andrade or Moura Andrade, was a Brazilian lawyer and politician. He was born into a wealthy family of farmers from the countryside, son of the cattle rancher Antônio Joaquim de Moura Andrade, known as "The King of Cattle".

Revolution of 1932 At the age of 17, was part of the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932, graduating later in law in the Law School of the Largo São Francisco (USP), where he developed intense political activity, signaling his future in the Brazilian public life.

As the head of the periodicals "A Urna" (The Ballot Box) and "O Democrata" ("The Democrat"), fought against the government of Getúlio Vargas, which ended closing them.

Great speaker, characteristic that would follow him in his parliamentary life, Andrade was lawyer and held many positions in the State, being also director of the Commercial Association.

Political career In 1947, Auro was elected state deputy by the National Democratic Union (UDN) and, in 1950, federal deputy. In 1954, was elected senator by the National Labor Party (PTN). Brilliant parliamentarian, joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which he would become highlighted. In 1961, was elected president of the Senate, which position he would hold for 7 years, always being re-elected.

In 1958, was defeated after running for governor of São Paulo, occasion which Carvalho Pinto was elected with the support of Jânio Quadros.

In 1962, was re-elected senator for São Paulo with more than 1 million votes.

Jânio Quadros resignation Moura Andrade was president of the National Congress when president Jânio Quadros resigned in August 1961. Moura Andrade received Quadros's resignation letter and immediately called in the Congress. In 4 minutes and a half, he read the letter, stated that Quadros was not in Brasília anymore and invited all the parliamentarians for the swearing-in of his constitutional successor, which would occur in 10 minutes. 20 minutes after the summoning, Moura Andrade declared vacancy of the presidential position, as Vice President João Goulart was in an official trip to China. Before ending the session, Moura Andrade stated:

He was appointed by many parliamentarians to compose, as Vice President, the ticket that would elect marshal Castelo Branco for President, but however, resigned the candidacy in the Second Round of the indirect election, on 11 April 1964, and José Maria Alkmin replaced him, who practically had no opposition.

Disenchanted with the coup that he supported, Moura Andrade, with the boldness that characterized him, publicly stated that "Japona wasn't gown", after being falsely accused by a superior official in charge of an inquiry. Because of that, even having great prestige, he was defeated in the partisan convention that chose the ARENA party candidates for the Senate to represent São Paulo in 1970, which made his re-election impossible.

Moura Andrade was the ambassador of Brazil in Spain for a year and a half between 1968 and 1969, after which he returned to Brazil, leaving politics. He was president of the Development Bank of São Paulo State, in 1982, when he passed away.

In retrospective (notably with the end of the Military Regime), the role of Moura Andrade in 1964 started to be severely questioned. Many criticize him for, in his attributions as president of the National Congress, giving institutional support for the illegitimate power takeover by the Armed Forces (contradicting the Constitution of 1946), instead of maintaining the republican order and assuring the continuity of a government elected democratically.

Books Um Congresso contra o arbítrio: Diários e memória. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 1985.