Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa

The son of a colonial officer of peasant origin; spent a part of his childhood in Timor and Macao, where he attended schools; joined the Army (1880); graduated (1884) from the the Escola do Exército (Army Academy); promoted to alferes (1885), lieutenant (1889), overseas captain (1893), captain (1898), major (1907), lieutenant-colonel (1912), and colonel (1914); served in the Portuguese colonies in India and Africa (1893-1915); distinguished himself in suppressing anti-colonial revolts; upon his return to Lisbon (1915), was appointed an infantry regiment commander; participated in World War I as a division commander of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in Flanders; promoted to general (1918); assigned command of the Fourth Military District (1921); became actively engaged into politics, collaborating with the Centrist Party (Partido Centrista), Reformist Party (Partido Reformista), Republican National Federation (Federação Nacional Republicana), and Radical Republican Party (Partido Republicano Radical); constantly criticized the policy of the governments of the Democratic Party (Partido Democrático); sent on a mission to China and India (1922-1924); joined the leaders of the conspiracy, which culminated in overthrowing republican regime (1926); together with Mendes Cabeçadas and Armando Gama Ochoa formed an informal military triumvirate (1 Jun 1926) to rule the country; was appointed war minister (3 Jun 1926 - 9 Jul 1926) and interim minister for colonies (3 Jun 1926 - 19 Jun 1926) [5]; staged another coup and forced Cabeçadas to step down (17 Jun 1926); served as President of the Ministry (17 Jun 1926 - 9 Jul 1926) and interim minister of the interior (17 Jun 1926 - 18 Jun 1926, 6 Jul 1926 - 9 Jul 1926); assumed the functions of President of the Republic (29 Jun 1926); ousted by radical nationalists (9 Jul 1926); was briefly arrested and later exiled to the Azores; staying in exile, he was promoted to marshal (1926); returned to Lisbon (1927). Biography source: [6]