U.Porto Memory
University of Porto Famous Alumni
António de Almeida
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António de Almeida 1891-1968 Engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist |
Born on November, 5, 1891 in S. Pedro - Vila Real (in the North), António Manuel de Almeida was a son of Manuel Maria de Almeida (from Guimarães) and Maria de Jesus Almeida (from Meda). He was christened in his parish church.
He lived in Vile Real with his family (he had 3 siblings: Alcina, Armindo and Carlos) during his father’s military service as an army officer.
After Primary school the family settled in Lisbon where António’s father died on December 10, 1903. His mother survived him until the age of 94 and died on April 4, 1962.
At the High school, in Lisbon, he met and made friends with José Maria do Espírito Santo Silva’s family (the banker), especially his eldest son, José Ribeiro, to whom he became attached for life. Back to Porto he finished his High school.
In 1915, aged 23, he concluded his engineering university studies (Curso de Engenheiros Civis de Obras) in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, with excellent grades.
After the military service he was admitted to the Ministério da Guerra (the War Ministry) as an officer, to work in the military engineering service, where he was promoted to the position of Alferes, in 1916. In that same year he enrolled in the Associação de Engenheiros Civis Portugueses (a professional association) and started his professional career as an engineer. On December 20, 1917 he ceased his functions in the War Ministry and soon afterwards he entered the Ministério das Obras Públicas (the Ministry of Public Works), developing an interest in entrepreneurism.
In 1915 the banker José Maria do Espírito Santo Silva died and his son José took over the family business. He had the friendship and the support of António and together they decided to open in Porto a branch of the Lisbon sited Casa Bancária Espírito Santo Silva & Ca. In 1918 they launched this project for which José acquired a tract of land in Avenida dos Aliados (downtown). The project of the building was commissioned to António de Almeida. This entrepreneur spirit would pay off. In 1920 he already possessed a considerable fortune.
On July 4, 1921 the Porto branch of the newly denominated Banco Espírito Santo was inaugurated. By then Mr Almeida (as he liked to be treated) was appointed the Bank’s Chair and the responsible for its management. Soon afterwards he was assigned to the post of Board’s Vice President which he held for the rest of his life.
From 1921 to 1935 he lived on the 3rd floor of the bank. This bank was the centre of his professional life. However he was in charge of other firms like the Companhia de Seguros Tranquilidade Portuense (an insurance company) that he helped to redefine (In 1935 its name was changed to Tranquilidade). From the 1930s on the same partnership, João Ribeiro and António de Almeida assumed, respectively, the posts of President and Vice-President of the bank’s board which they kept for life.
On November 23, 1931 he requested to be withdrawn from the Associação dos Engenheiros Civis Portugueses members list, once he no longer involved in engineering activities. However he kept a close relationship with some of his former colleagues, like Luís Monteiro Nunes da Ponte.
During the impressive celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the Banco Espírito Santo, two bronze busts were inaugurated, featuring José and António, both signed by Martins Correia (a Portuguese sculptor).
As for his private life some facts stand out. In spite of being a fervourous catholic, on October 30, 1920 he married a protestant: Olga Ana Adelaide Andresen (1899-1963) daughter of João Henrique Andresen and Joana Henriqueta Lehman Andresen. The wedding civil ceremony took place in Quinta do Campo Alegre a propriety belonging to the bride’s family and the religious ceremony took place in the Igreja Paroquial de Lordelo’s sacristy. After their honeymoon trip to Madeira, the couple settled in Lisbon.
Later, António and his wife came to Porto and settled first in the Quinta do Campo Alegre, in October, 1922, then on the 3rd floor of the bank’s building and, from 1935 onwards, in the "Casa Nova" designed by the architect Carlos Ramos. The construction went on for 2 years and the furniture and decorations were brought from French, British, Swiss and Portuguese Antiquaries, under the advice of Dr Ricardo Ribeiro do Espírito Santo Silva. In 1949 they inaugurated the restoration and broadening of the house.
In 1939, as his wife’s proxy, António de Almeida purchased her a house on Granja beach, in Vila Nova de Gaia, which was refurbished and where the couple would regularly live in August. There they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary, in 1945.
António de Almeida was a sports hunter, more for social duties than for the sport itself. In 1944 he bought a property in Santa Maria, Estremoz, the Quinta dos Pensamentos, to return his friends the frequent invitations to hunting. This property, however, turned out to be not entirely appropriate for hunting purposes and he bought another place, the "Herdade do Freixial", in Elvas, in 1952.
António and Olga Ana took great pleasure in travelling around Europe and Africa, staying frequently in Arosa, Baden-Baden, Évian and Saint-Moritz, the ski resort. They both were golf lovers and they used to play in the Espinho and Miramar greens, among others, in the country or abroad; they also enjoyed nautical sports that worked, like hunting, as pretexts to social reunions during the summer, in the Ria de Aveiro on board of the old Dutch ship "Mar e Sol".
He was deeply depressed by his wife’s death (on May 17, 1963) but he carried on his professional activity, his social duties and the charity actions he had always devoted to. He participated, for instance, in the protocular session and dinner, on March 5, 1964, in Paris, for the investment ceremony of Dr José Ribeiro do Espírito Santo Silva with the condecoration of Ordem Militar de Cristo by the Portuguese ambassador. And in 1966 he was in Curia for the meeting that celebrated the 50 years of the 1915 Engineering Graduate Course.
He honoured his wife’s memory through the donations to the institutions she had been emotionally attached to, like the Portuguese Red Cross or the Sanatório D. Manuel II.
On September 29, 1968 he got a card from his everlasting friend José, but he could never answer to it. Weak and ill, he died on October 9, 1968.
On his will, he founded the Engineer António de Almeida Foundation with artistical, educational and charitable aims. It was officially recognized on May 5, 1969.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2008)
Last updated: 2024-07-02 Webpage created on: 2024-11-09 01:09:55 Complaint Portal