Juscelino Kubitschek

Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuseˈlinu kubiˈʃɛk(i) dʒi oliˈve(j)ɾɐ]; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. Kubitschek’s government plan, dubbed “50 years in 5”, was centered on economic and social development. During his term the country experienced a period of notable economic growth and relative political stability. However, there was also a significant increase in external debt, inflation, income concentration and wage erosion. At the time, there was no re-election and, on 31 January 1961, he was succeeded by Jânio Quadros, supported by the UDN. Kubitschek is best known for the construction of Brazil’s new capital: Brasília, which was inaugurated on 21 April 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro.

Kubitschek was born in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, in 1902. His father, João César de Oliveira, died when he was only two years old. JK completed the humanities course at the Diamantina Seminary and moved to Belo Horizonte in 1920. In 1927, he graduated in medicine from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), and in 1930 he specialized in urology in Paris. In December 1931, he married Sarah Lemos, with whom he had a daughter, Márcia, in 1943. The couple also adopted Maria Estela in 1947. In 1931, Kubitschek joined the Public Force of Minas Gerais as a doctor. During this period, he served on the Constitutionalist Revolution and became friends with politician Benedito Valadares who, upon being appointed federal intervenor in 1933, appointed Kubitschek as his chief of staff. In 1934, Kubitschek was elected federal deputy, but his term was revoked during the Estado Novo coup. With the loss of his term, Kubitschek returned to medicine. In 1940, he was appointed mayor of Belo Horizonte by Valadares, remaining in this position until October 1945. At the end of the same year he was elected constituent deputy for the Social Democratic Party (PSD). In 1950, he defeated Bias Fortes in the PSD caucuses to choose the party’s candidate for that year’s gubernatorial election in Minas Gerais. In the election, he defeated his brother-in-law Gabriel Passos and was sworn in as governor on 31 January 1951. As governor, he created the Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais, and also prioritized road building and industrialization.

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