Washington Luís

Washington Luís
Official portrait, 1926
13th President of Brazil
In office
15 November 1926  24 October 1930
Vice PresidentMelo Viana
Preceded byArtur Bernardes
Succeeded by
Military Junta
Executive offices
1920–1924President of São Paulo
1914–1919Mayor of São Paulo
1906–1912Secretary of Justice of São Paulo
1898–1899Intendant of Batatais
Legislative offices
1925–1926Senator for São Paulo
1912–1914State Deputy of São Paulo
1904–1906State Deputy of São Paulo
1897–1898Councillor of Batatais
Personal details
Born(1869-10-26)26 October 1869
Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil
Died4 August 1957(1957-08-04) (aged 87)
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Political partyPRP
Spouse
Sofia Paes de Barros
(m. 1900; died 1934)
ChildrenFlorinda
Rafael Luís
Caio Luís
Vítor Luís
Parents
  • Joaquim Luís Pereira de Sousa (father)
  • Florinda Sá Pinto (mother)
Alma materFaculty of Law of Largo de São Francisco
Signature

Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈwɔʃĩtõ luˈis peˈɾejɾɐ dʒi ˈsowzɐ]; 26 October 1869 – 4 August 1957) was a Brazilian politician who served as the 13th president of Brazil. Elected governor of São Paulo state in 1920 and president of Brazil in 1926, Washington Luís belonged to the Republican Party of São Paulo (PRP) and served as the last president of the First Brazilian Republic.

Facing the crisis generated by the Great Depression in the United States, the president lost almost all his support. He selected his friend Júlio Prestes as his successor in 1930, but just three weeks before the end of his term, Luís was overthrown in a coup d'état during the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 and was succeeded as president by the short-lived Brazilian Military Junta in the last few months of 1930.