Mário de Figueiredo

Available

Mário de Figueiredo was born in 1890 and died in 1969. His archive consists of documentation produced and gathered within the scope of the political-administrative and diplomatic functions he carried out. It has 922 documents, comprising texts from conferences, political speeches in propaganda sessions, electoral campaigns, celebrations and tributes, at various stages of writing, including notes. It includes reports of meetings on the negotiation of air bases in the Azores with the United States, various proposals and draft laws, among other documentation.

As a whole, the documents related to the Concordat negotiations between the Portuguese State and the Holy See stand out (annotated versions, notes for corrections to the text, proofs and notes), as well as those related to the changes to the text of the Colonial Act, and the minutes of the sessions of the Commission appointed to establish the bases for constitutional reform (notes and conclusions), proposals for constitutional revision, opinions on the proposals presented for the competition for the bridge over the Tagus, notes from conversations with the ministers of Finance, Communications, Corporations and of Economy, documents from the Portuguese Catholic Youth Congresses. It includes reflections on foreign policy, related to the Second World War and the question of Portuguese India, on internal politics, elections, Estado Novo, the opposition, the National Union and political parties, and on access to teaching careers at the Universities of Coimbra and Lisbon.

As Minister of Education, there are documents related to the approval of the law on private education, the supervision of private education and the approval of the accounts of the Institute of High Culture. From his activity as president of the administration of the Portuguese Railways Company [Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses], there are documents on the execution of development and financing plans, modernization, inaugurations, approval of laws on the exploration of the Railways, studies, maps of networks, organic and financial reforms of the Company, salaries, fees and taxes, legislation, a court ruling and settlement of accounts. The correspondence refers to presidential elections and elections for the National Assembly, political and administrative organization of overseas territories, management of the accounts of National Organization of Portuguese Youth [Organização Nacional da Mocidade Portuguesa], recommendations for political positions, information relating to the concession contract of Companhia de Diamantes [of Angola ] and the dispute between the University of Coimbra and the University of Lisbon. It includes correspondence with Salazar.

Mário de Figueiredo's archive was handed over to the General Library of the University of Coimbra by his widow, Maria de Magalhães Mexia de Figueiredo, in 1989, with an embargo of 10 years. The archive was opened in 2004.