- Adelino Amaro da Costa
Adelino Manuel Lopes Amaro da Costa, GCIH (
Oeiras ,Algés ,18 April ,1943 –Loures ,Camarate ,4 December ,1980 ) was a PortuguesePolitician .Background
He was a son of
Civil Engineer from theInstituto Superior Técnico of theUniversity of Lisbon Manuel Rafael Amaro da Costa (b.Odemira , São Martinho das Amoreiras,January 10 ,1910 -), of some rural Nobility descent, and wife (m.Lisbon , 1937) Joaquina da Conceição Duarte Lopes Nunes (Odemira , Relíquias,January 22 ,1914 -Lisbon , Alvalade,June 19 ,1991 ).Career
Like his father he was also a
Civil Engineer by training from theInstituto Superior Técnico of theUniversity of Lisbon .After the
Carnation Revolution , he founded, together withDiogo Freitas do Amaral , the Democratic Social Centre (CDS), aChristian Democrat political party predecessor of the current Popular Party, in which he became Deputy to theAssembly of the Republic and Minister.After the victory of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition between the Social Democrats and his own party, in the
Portuguese legislative election, 1980 , he became the first civilianDefence Minister since theCarnation Revolution in1980-01-03 .He died in a plane crash, together with his wife Maria Manuel Simões Vaz da Silva Pires, the Prime Minister
Francisco de Sá Carneiro and Sá Carneiro's partner, Snu Abecassis, while heading toPorto to take part in a rally for thePortuguese presidential election, 1981 .Conspiracy theorists claim he was the true target for assassination, for he had documents concerning the
October surprise conspiracy theory and was planning on taking them to the United Nations's General Assembly. According to this conspiracy theory, Reagan promised to sell American weapons to Iran, to replace the old portuguese ones; the Portuguese military was acting as middleman (two of the Portuguese Presidential candidates, in 1980, were Generals, and one of them was promptly accused as responsible for the assassination by many Sá Carneiro supporters); a boat with the weapons was almost seized at Lisbon's harbor. This theory is reinforced with the fact that Amaro da Costa was the one renting the plane, and Sá Carneiro a last minute passenger (possibly as a decoy).Decorations
He was
decorated with theGrand Cross of theOrder of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) .Family
He married Maria Manuel Simões Vaz da Silva Pires (
August 26 ,1946 –Loures ,Camarate ,December 4 ,1980 ), daughter of Gustavo Correia Barata da Silva Pires and wife Maria Manuela da Silva Casaleiro Simões Vaz, without issue.He was the brother of Manuel Rafael Lopes Amaro da Costa and the brother in law of
politician Roberto Carneiro .Ancestors
Ancestors of Adelino Manuel Lopes Amaro da Costa [Ribera, José António Moya, "Costados", Nr. 10]ources
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