Quadros, Jânio

Born Jan. 25, 1917, in the city of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso. Brazilian statesman and politician. The son of an office worker.

Quadros graduated from the law school of the University of São Paulo in 1939. He became a member of the São Paulo municipal government in 1947, a deputy to the state legislature in 1950, and mayor in 1953. From 1954 to 1958 he was governor of the state of São Paulo, and from 1958 to 1960 he was a deputy to the federal congress. In January 1961 he became president of Brazil.

The Quadros presidency, which was marked by a course of independent foreign policy and economic development, lasted only 204 days. In August 1961 reactionary forces succeeded in forcing Quadros to resign. After the reactionary military coup of 1964, Quadros was deprived of his political rights for a term of ten years.