Jaime Gama

Jaime José de Matos da Gama, GCC, GCIH, GCL, GCMG (born Fajã de Baixo, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, 8 June 1947), is a Portuguese politician.

Background

He is a son of Jaime da Rosa Ferreira da Gama (Matriz, Horta, Faial, Azores, January 1914 – Lisbon, 29 July 2003) and wife Lucília Vaz do Rego de Matos (São Sebastião, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, 12 September 1916 – Hospital Militar, Estrela, Lisbon, 21 September 1987). [http://www.geneall.net/P/per_page.php?id=515635]

Career

He graduated as a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon. He was involved in the opposition to the fascist "Estado Novo" (New State) regime, since his youth, and was first arrested, aged only 18, due to an article published in the local press. He was a member of the socialist CEUD in the campaign for the 1969 legislative elections, won by the National Union (the regime party), due to massive fraud. He was a journalist of the opposition newspaper "República", in the last years of the fascist regime.

He was a founder of the Socialist Party, in the German exile of Bad-Munstereifel. In the 1st Constitutional Government, he was Minister of Internal Affairs (1976-1978), and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 9th Constitutional Government, from 1983 to 1985. He returned to the same ministry, in António Guterres' governments, from 1995 to 2002, and was also Minister of State and Minister of National Defence, in 1999. He was the chairman of the Presidency of the Council of Europe from 1 January 2002, until 6 April 2002, when he lost his post as foreign minister when the new government of José Manuel Durão Barroso took office in Portugal. In 2005, he became the new and 12th President of the Assembly of the Republic ("Assembleia da República"), the Portuguese parliament. He is also a Member of the Portuguese Council of State as the President of the Assembly of the Republic.

Decorations

He was awarded with the Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ, the Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique), the Order of Liberty and the Order of St Michael and St George.

Family

He married in Lisbon on 18 September 1971 Alda Taborda and has one son, João Taborda da Gama, Licentiate in Law, Lawyer and Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. [http://www.fd.ul.pt/docentes/listadocentes.asp]

References