Adelino Amaro da Costa

Adelino Manuel Lopes Amaro da Costa, GCIH (18 April 1943 – 4 December 1980) was a Portuguese politician.

Adelino Amaro da Costa GCIH
Adelino Amaro da Costa in October 1978
Minister of National Defence
In office 3 January 1980 – 4 December 1980
President	António Ramalho Eanes
Prime Minister	Francisco de Sá Carneiro
Preceded by	José Alberto Loureiro dos Santos
Succeeded by	Luís de Azevedo Coutinho
Personal details
Born	(1943-04-18)18 April 1943 Algés, Portugal
Died	4 December 1980(1980-12-04) (aged 37) Camarate, Portugal
Political party	CDS – People's Party (CDS-PP)

Background

Costa was a son of Civil Engineer from the Instituto Superior Técnico of the Technical University of Lisbon (Universidade Técnica de Lisboa) 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 the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon.

After the Carnation Revolution, he founded, together with Diogo Freitas do Amaral, the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), in which he became Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic and Minister.

After the victory of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition between the Social Democrats, the Popular Monarchists and his own party, in the 1980 Portuguese legislative election, he became the first civilian defence minister since the Carnation Revolution on 3 January 1980.

He died in the 1980 Camarate air 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 to Porto to take part in a rally for the 1980 Portuguese presidential election.

Claims have been made he was the true target for assassination, for he had documents concerning the 1980 October Surprise theory and was planning on taking them to the United Nations's General Assembly. According to these affirmations, Reagan promised to sell American weapons to Iran, to replace the old Portuguese ones; the Portuguese military were acting as middlemen (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. These affirmations are 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

Adelino Amaro da Costa in front of the Cristal Palace, Porto.

He was decorated with the Grand Cross of the Order 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

16. Rafael da Costa 8. José Rafael da Costa 17. Maria de Oliveira 4. António Rafael da Costa 18. Joaquim Francisco 9. Micaela Teresa or Micaela de Jesus 19. Teresa de Jesus 2. Manuel Rafael Amaro da Costa 20. Manuel Guerreiro 10. Amaro Guerreiro 21. Isabel Maria 5. Lucinda Guerreiro de Góis 22. José de Góis 11. Mariana Guerreiro de Góis 23. Maria Guerreiro or Sabina Rodrigues 1. Adelino Manuel Lopes Amaro da Costa 24. José Lopes 12. Julião Henriques Lopes 25. Rosa Maria 6. Manuel Henriques Lopes Nunes 26. José Miguel 13. Joaquina da Conceição 27. Maria Rosa 3. Joaquina da Conceição Duarte Lopes Nunes 28. Francisco Duarte 14. António Duarte 29. Maria Bárbara 7. Conceição Maria Duarte 30. José António 15. Maria Jacinta 31. Jacinta Maria