Manuel de Sousa Avides 1854-1920 Physician and politician |
Manuel de Sousa Avides, son of José de Sousa Avides and Maria do Carmo, was born in Porto on 19 September 1854.
He was very young when he immigrated with his family to Rio de Janeiro. He studied in this Brazilian city and graduated in Medicine.
On his return to Portugal, he repeated the exams at the Medical-Surgical School of Porto, with the inaugural dissertation entitled "Do tratamento do tetano traumatico" [The treatment of traumatic tetanus] (1878), supervised by José Carlos Lopes Júnior and dedicated to the Medical-Surgical School. After specializing in Dermatology, he trained in European hospitals, namely in Paris, Berlin and Vienna.
On his return to Porto, he practiced medicine and joined the Regenerator Party. He then engaged in an intense political career. He was part of the Chamber of Peers in Parliament, being chosen to represent Porto in 1890 and in 1894. Then, he was elected representative member of Porto in 1895, 1900, 1901, 1904, 1906 and 1908. In the Chamber of Peers and Representative Chamber, he focused on solving the problems of his home town.
Manuel de Sousa Avides also performed duties as Advisor (by decree of 12 August 1904), councillor of the Porto City Council (in 1893 and 1905) and Mayor of the Porto City Council (from 2 January 1902 to 5 January 1905).
When the Republic was reinstated, he abandoned politics and devoted himself to business and corporate management. He directed the Urbana Portuguesa insurance company, and was part of the governing bodies of Banco Aliança. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Lapa and Ombudsman of the Order of Christ.
He was awarded the Commendation of the Order of Christ and the Grand-Cross of Isabel, the Catholic, by the government of Spain.
He died in Porto in 1920.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2011)