Almada (Dr José António de)
Original title: Almada (Dr. José Antonio de)
Biography of José António de Almada (1843–1905), a lawyer born in Machico who served as civil governor of the Funchal district (1897–98) and deputy for Madeira, securing several public improvements.
He was born in the town (vila) of Machico on 7 March 1843, the son of José António de Almada. After attending the lyceum (state secondary school) of this city and completing his degree at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (Universidade de Coimbra), he set up practice as a lawyer in Funchal. There he earned the reputation of a distinguished jurist and was highly regarded in his profession. In this city he held the highest offices, such as deputy crown prosecutor, civil governor and others, and he was also deputy for Madeira in the legislature of 1900. The decree appointing him civil governor of this district is dated 15 February 1897, and he took up the post on the 18th of the same month and year.
As head of the district from 1897 to 1898, and as representative of this archipelago in the Cortes (Portuguese parliament), he championed the interests of his homeland with the utmost dedication. He secured several important improvements for it, such as the creation of the forest police corps, the demolition of the city’s curtain wall (cortina, the defensive wall of the city), the abolition of the tax on fresh meat (carnes verdes), the start of work on the bridges of São Vicente and Santo António, and others besides.
A few years before his death he had settled in the capital, where he served as judge advocate of the army and navy courts martial; he died there on 21 March 1905.
He was active in politics and contributed to several newspapers, being an editor of the Revista Jurídica (‘Legal Review’), published in Funchal from 1870 to 1871. Together with J. R. da Trindade e Vasconcelos he wrote a pamphlet entitled Projecto de lei regulamentar do contracto de colonia; Funchal, 1867.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 06-
José António de Almada was born in Machico.
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Joaquim Ricardo da Trindade e Vasconcelos published a draft law regulating the colonia contract in Madeira.
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The weekly Revista Jurídica, edited by José António de Almada, appeared in Funchal from October 1870 until February 1876.
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José António de Almada was appointed civil governor of the Funchal district by decree of 15 February 1897 and took office on the 18th; his governorship to 1898 created the forest police and demolished the city curtain wall.
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José António de Almada served as deputy for Madeira.
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Dr José António de Almada died in Lisbon.
Place
Places mentioned · 05
Abroad
- Coimbra
Portugal. Site of the university where he studied law.
Portuguese mainland university city where many Madeirans studied law or medicine, and where Padre Luís Gonçalves da Câmara taught and was rector of the Jesuit college. It hosted the 1921 academic table-tennis championship, and its dormancy and rainfall data are compared with Funchal's.
- Funchal
Where Almada practised law and held office.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Machico
Birthplace of Almada.
The parish of Machico was the landing place of the discoverers Zargo and Tristão Vaz and the seat of the captaincy of Machico; the parish was founded c. 1450. The Elucidário covers its clergy and stipends, chapels, historical events, mineral springs, localities, population and notable natives.
- Santo António
Funchal. Bridge works begun there under his governorship.
Santo António is a parish in the municipality of Funchal, Madeira, where the São João stream rises and the Jesuits had their Pico do Cardo residence. Its church bears a 1783 Latin inscription, and the parish contains the Madalena, São João e Santana and Pópulo chapels; it also gives its name to a hill of about 400 metres near its church.
- São Vicente
Bridge works begun there under his governorship.
São Vicente is described as the largest and most populous parish of northern Madeira and the seat of the only town on the north coast. The Elucidário covers its settlement, church history, localities and landscape, and the deadly landslide of 1929.
People
People mentioned · 03- José António de Almada1843–1905
Machico-born lawyer, civil governor of Funchal (1897–98) and deputy for Madeira in 1900; subject of this entry.
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Co-author with Almada of an 1867 pamphlet proposing a law to regulate the colonia contract.
- José de Almada1880–1885
Father of the lawyer and civil governor José António de Almada.