Sidónio Bernardino Cardoso da Silva Pais

Descended from a bourgeois family, whose head was a notary; was educated at a lyceum in Viana do Castelo; enlisted as a volunteer in the Army (1888), but given special permission to continue his beginning studies at the University of Coimbra; released from service (1889); enrolled as student (1890-1892) in the Artillery branch in the Escola do Exército (Army Academy), graduating as second lieutenant (1892); served in various Artillery units (1893-1895); was promoted to first lieutenant (1895); re-admitted to the University of Coimbra (1895); received degree of bachelor (1897), with highest honors; of master (1898), and doctor (1898), all in Applied Mathematics; declined to serve overseas in order to compete for a University faculty position (1898); became an instructor in Mathematics at the University of Coimbra, obtaining the chair of Differential and Integral Calculus (1904); further military promotion included: second captain (1906), captain (1908), major (1916); served as rector of the University of Coimbra (1908, 1911); elected president of the municipal committee of Coimbra (1910-1911); elected (1911) to the Assembleia Nacional Constituinte (National Constituent Assembly) as a deputy for Aveiro; served as minister of education (3 Sep 1911 - 12 Nov 1911) and minister of finance (12 Nov 1911 - 16 Jun 1912); appointed minister plenipotentiary to Germany (1912-1916); emerged as a leader of the coup d'état (5 Dec 1917 - 7 Dec 1917); president of the Revolutionary Junta (7 Dec 1917 - 11 Dec 1917); appointed President of the Ministry (11 Dec 1917 - 15 May 1918); set up authoritarian regime, pursuing the establishment of conservative republic; continuing in office as President of the Ministry, also assumed (27 Dec 1917) the functions of President of the Republic, while the office remained vacant; amended the law on separation of state and church (1918); promulgated amendments to the Constitution of 1911, granting universal suffrage and presidential form of government (30 Mar 1918); elected President of the Republic (28 Apr 1918) and entered the office on 9 May 1918; decreed the state of emergency (13 Oct 1918) in response to the acts of social disobedience; escaped an assassination attempt (5 Dec 1918); was fatally wounded as he entered the Rossio station in Lisbon and died shortly before midnight 14 Dec 1918. Biography source: [1]