José Mendes Cabeçadas

His Excellency José Mendes Cabeçadas OTE ComA MPCE
9th President of Portugal
In office May 31, 1926 – June 19, 1926
Preceded by	Bernardino Machado
Succeeded by	Manuel Gomes da Costa
94th Prime Minister of Portugal
In office May 31, 1926 – June 19, 1926
Preceded by	National Salvation Junta
Succeeded by	Manuel Gomes da Costa
President of the National Salvation Junta
In office May 29, 1926 – May 31, 1926
President	Bernardino Machado
Preceded by	António Maria da Silva (as Prime Minister)
Succeeded by	Himself (as Prime Minister)
Ministerial positions Acting Minister of the Interior In office June 3, 1926 – June 17, 1926 Preceded by Armando da Gama Ochoa Succeeded by António Claro In office May 30, 1926 – June 1, 1926 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Armando da Gama Ochoa Minister of Commerce and Communications In office May 30, 1926 – June 3, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Ezequiel de Campos Minister of Finance In office May 30, 1926 – June 3, 1926 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by António de Oliveira Salazar Minister of Justice In office May 30, 1926 – June 3, 1926 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Manuel Rodrigues Minister of the Navy In office May 30, 1926 – June 3, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Jaime Afreixo Acting Minister of Agriculture In office May 30, 1926 – June 1, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Manuel Gomes da Costa Acting Minister of the Colonies In office May 30, 1926 – June 1, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Manuel Gomes da Costa Acting Minister of Public Instruction In office May 30, 1926 – June 1, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Armando da Gama Ochoa Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs In office May 30, 1926 – June 1, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Armando da Gama Ochoa Acting Minister of War In office May 30, 1926 – June 1, 1930 Preceded by Junta of Public Salvation Succeeded by Manuel Gomes da Costa
Personal details
Born	José Mendes Cabeçadas Júnior 19 August 1883 Loulé, Portugal
Died	11 June 1965 (aged 81) Lisbon, Portugal
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Maria das Dores Vieira (m. 1911–1949); her death
Children	Maria Dolores Graça Raquel
Occupation	Naval officer (Counter admiral)
Signature

José Mendes Cabeçadas Júnior, OTE, ComA (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ ˈmẽdɨʃ kɐbɨˈsadɐʃ]), commonly known as Mendes Cabeçadas (19 August 1883 in Loulé – 11 June 1965 in Lisbon), was a Portuguese Navy officer, free mason and republican, having a major role in the preparation of the revolutionary movements that created and ended the Portuguese First Republic: the 5 October revolution in 1910 and the 28 May coup d'état of 1926. In the outcome he became the 69th Minister of Finance for one day only on 30 May 1926, then becoming interim Minister for Foreign Affairs for two days between 30 May and 1 June, after which he again became the 70th Minister for Finance on the same day. He served as the ninth President of the Republic (the first of the Military dictatorship) and Prime Minister for a brief period of time (from 31 May 1926 to 16 June 1926).

Mendes Cabeçadas was one of those responsible for the revolt on board the ship Adamastor, during the republican revolution of 1910. However he soon became disappointed with the regime he had helped to create. In 1926 he led the revolution against the First Republic in Lisbon after Gomes da Costa had started it in Braga. Prime Minister António Maria da Silva resigned and just days later (31 May) President Bernardino Machado named him Prime Minister. On the same day the President also resigned and Mendes Cabeçadas assumed the role of President of the Republic.

As a revolutionary with moderate tendencies he thought it possible to form a government that wouldn't question the constitutional regime, but with no influence on the Democratic Party. However the other revolutionaries (among them Gomes da Costa and Óscar Carmona) judged him as incapable and in a meeting in Sacavém on 17 June 1926 Mendes Cabeçadas was forced to renounce the posts of President of the Republic and President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) in favour of Gomes da Costa.

He joined the opposition to the regime for a third time, involving himself in several revolutionary attempts and subscribed to many manifestos against the dictatorship, until his death in 1965 during the period known as the Estado Novo (New State), headed by António de Oliveira Salazar.

He married in Santa Isabel, Lisbon, in March 1911 Maria das Dores Formosinho Vieira (Silves, Silves, 6 January 1880 – 22 December 1949) and had four daughters.

See also

• List of Presidents of Portugal
• List of Prime Ministers of Portugal
• First Portuguese Republic
• Ditadura Nacional
• Estado Novo (Portugal)
• History of Portugal
• Timeline of Portuguese history
• Politics of Portugal