Veiga (Dr José Manuel da)

Dr José Manuel da Veiga was born in Funchal on 18 October 1794, the son of João Paulo da Veiga and Dona Jacinta Rosa Leça da Veiga.

In 1816 he enrolled in the faculty of canon law at the University of Coimbra (Universidade de Coimbra). After a brilliant course of study, in which he won first prize in every year, he received the doctoral hood (capelo) in 1822 and was then admitted to the teaching staff of that institution of higher education. During his studies he showed such extraordinary talent that his fellow students sought him out as their tutor and coach, and the professors admitted him into their intimate circle. This was remarkable at a time when the rigidity of university discipline did not allow such closeness between teachers and students. It seems that, while still a student at the University, he took holy orders and had even celebrated Mass, but he later abandoned his ecclesiastical career, to the great scandal of his contemporaries. On taking his doctorate he defended a thesis attacking a very important precept of Church discipline, which he published under the title Memória sobre o celibato eclesiastico... The volume was seized and ordered to be destroyed, and few copies circulated. In 1866, after his death, a second edition of this work appeared in a volume of two hundred and some pages.

After some years of teaching he gave up his professorial chair and set up practice as an advocate in Lisbon, where he had a large clientele and enjoyed the reputation of a distinguished lawyer.

Among the legal works that earned him standing as a notable jurist, the most outstanding is his Código Penal da Nação Portuguesa, published in 1837. Inocêncio Francisco da Silva’s Diccionario Bibliographico mentions other legal works by José Manuel da Veiga, which we omit for the sake of brevity.

He also courted the Muses, publishing a tragedy entitled Medea and a collection of assorted poems. He died in Lisbon on 26 September 1859.