U.Porto Memory

Rectors of the University of Porto

	Francisco Gomes Teixeira 1st Rector (1911-1917) Portrait by Abel de Moura

Biography synopsis of Francisco Gomes Teixeira (1851-1933)

Gomes Teixeira was born in S. Cosmado, in the borough of Armamar, on January 1851 and he was buried in the same town on 10 February 1933, two days after his death in Porto. He attained a degree in Mathematics in 1857 from the Faculty of Mathematics with a final grade of "very good", 20/20 by unanimity". It had been the first time that such a grade had been given by the aforementioned Faculty. Moreover, Gomes Teixeira’s genial nature reveled itself soon enough when at the end of the 4th year of his degree, he presented a remarkable research paper to the Lisbon Science Academy. It is hardly surprising that he obtained his doctorate at the age of 24 and a half. One of his lecturers said that “he was the most prominent student that the Mathematics Faculty has ever seen”. He started teaching as a substitute lecturer in 1876 following his application to that position. Meanwhile, without ever dissociating himself from his School, he worked as an astronomer, for a short period of time, at the Lisbon Astronomy Observatory. In 1880, he was promoted to Full Professor. A few years later, due to family reasons, he requested to be transferred to the Polytechnic Academy of Porto. In February 1886, he became Director of the Polytechnic Academy, which during his management, and with the support of a group of remarkable lecturers, enjoyed and lived through a dynamic period. Besides lecturing, Gomes Teixeira was continually dedicated to mathematics research and produced high quality papers that deserved international recognition. It is no surprise that at the beginning of the 20th century, the Government ordered the publication of his work by Coimbra University Press. He became the first elected (with Government ratification) Rector of the University of Porto on the 16 June 1911. The University owes a lot to its first Rector. He fought to keep engineering subjects linked to the Faculty of Sciences, which were at risk of being abolished. If that had happened, the Technical Faculty, precursor of the Faculty of Engineering, would not have been established in 1921. He was Rector until 1917. Afterwards, the University Senate appointed him Honorary Rector.

Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2013.