Ernesto Geisel

His Excellency Ernesto Geisel
Official portrait, c. 1974
29th President of Brazil
In office 15 March 1974 – 15 March 1979
Vice President	Adalberto Pereira dos Santos
Preceded by	Emílio Garrastazu Médici
Succeeded by	João Figueiredo
Further offices held Chair of Petrobras In office 6 November 1969 – 6 July 1973 Nominated by Emílio Garrastazu Médici Preceded by Waldemar Cardoso Succeeded by Faria Lima Justice of the Superior Military Court In office 20 March 1967 – 27 October 1969 Nominated by Castelo Branco Preceded by Floriano de Lima Brayner Succeeded by Jurandyr de Bizarria Mamede Head of the Military Cabinet In office 15 April 1964 – 15 March 1967 President Castelo Branco Preceded by André Fernandes de Sousa Succeeded by Jaime Portela de Melo In office 25 August 1961 – 8 September 1961 President Ranieri Mazzilli (acting) Preceded by Pedro Geraldo de Almeida Succeeded by Amaury Kruel
Personal details
Born	(1907-08-03)August 3, 1907 Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Died	12 September 1996(1996-09-12) (aged 89) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Resting place	São João Batista Cemetery
Political party	ARENA (1974–1979)
Spouse	Lucy Markus ​ (m. 1939)​
Children	Amália Orlando
Alma mater	Military School of Realengo Officers Improvement School Army General Staff School
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Brazil
Branch/service	Brazilian Army
Years of service	1927–1969
Rank	Army general
Commands	List Department of Public Security of Rio Grande do Norte Department of Finance and Public Works of Paraíba General Staff of the Armored Division Centre General Secretariat of the National Security Council 8th Motorized Coast Artillery Group Deputy Chief of the Military Cabinet Artillery School Regiment 2nd Group of Anti-Aircraft Guns Army General Staff Information Section Cabinet Office of the Minister of War Brasília Military Command 11th Military Region Division Artillery of the 5th Infantry Division 5th Military Region Second Deputy Chief of the Army General Provision Department
Battles/wars	Brazilian Revolution of 1930 Constitutionalist Revolution Brazilian Communist Uprising 1964 Brazilian coup d'état
Ernesto Geisel's voice Ernesto Geisel on the government's actions in 1975 (recorded December 1975)

Ernesto Beckmann Geisel (Portuguese pronunciation: [eʁˈnɛstu ˈbɛkmɐ̃ ˈɡajzew], German pronunciation: [ɛʁˈnɛsto ˈbɛkman ˈɡaɪzl̩]; 3 August 1907 – 12 September 1996) was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who served as the 29th president of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military dictatorship.^[1]

Born to German Lutheran immigrants, Geisel attended military prep schools from an early age. He then moved to Rio de Janeiro, graduating as an artillery officer from the Military School of Realengo, now the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras. He entered politics in 1964 when he was appointed Chief of the Military House under President Castelo Branco. He was part of the group of Castelo Branco's military supporters who opposed Marshal Costa e Silva's candidacy for the presidency. Castelo Branco promoted him to the rank of Army General in 1966 and appointed him Minister of the Superior Military Court in 1967. During the Emílio Médici government, he became president of Petrobras, while his brother, Orlando Geisel, served as Minister of the Army. Orlando's support was decisive in Médici's decision to select him as a presidential candidate. In 1974, he ran for president as the candidate of the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA), with Adalberto Pereira dos Santos as his running mate. They won with 400 votes (84.04%) against the opposition ticket of Ulysses Guimarães and Barbosa Lima Sobrinho from the MDB, which received 76 votes (15.96%).^[2]

He assumed the presidency of Brazil on March 15, 1974. His government was marked by the beginning of political openness and a softening of the repression imposed by the military dictatorship, but he faced strong opposition from hardline politicians. Significant events during his tenure included the merger of Guanabara with Rio de Janeiro, the division of Mato Grosso with the creation of Mato Grosso do Sul, the resumption of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, recognition of Angola's independence, the signing of nuclear agreements with West Germany, the initiation of Brazil's democratization process, the repeal of AI-5, and significant progress in the construction of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant.^[3]

In his post-presidency years, Geisel maintained influence over the military throughout the 1980s. In the 1985 presidential election, he supported the victorious opposition candidate, Tancredo Neves, which helped reduce military resistance to Tancredo's presidency. He later served as president of Norquisa, a holding company in the petrochemical sector.^[4]