Antonio de Spínola

Portuguese military man who became the President of Portugal for a few months in 1974. At age 10 (1920) he was enrolled in a military school and eight years later entered the Military Academy.He served in the Portuguese colonies in Angola and other parts of Africa. On 15 May 1974 he was made President of Portugal as a result of a military coup. After he became embroiled in African politics he resigned his post on 30 September 1974. On 11 March 1975 he was forced to leave his country after a coup in which he was involved failed. However, he was "rehabilitated" later that year. In 1981 he was awarded the post of Army Field Marshall. He married in 1932 but he and his wife had no children. He died on 13 August 1996 in Lisbon.