Luís Filipe Menezes

Luís Filipe de Menezes Lopes (born Ovar, November 2, 1953) is a Portuguese politician.

Background

He is a son of José António Lopes (Porto, Alvar, September 10, 1925 –), an Industrialist (son and paternal grandson of cattle dealers and maternal grandson and great-grandson of farmers and maternal grandson of an "exposed" daughter of unknown parents), and wife (m. Coimbra, Sé Nova, November 11, 1949) Maria Helena de Menezes Borges (Viseu, Abraveses, Aguieira, April 15, 1928 –), a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto and a High School Teacher, whose paternal grandfather was Spanish and whose mother was from the local Nobility.

Career

He is a Licentiate in Medicine specialized in pediatrics from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto.

He started his career as a medical doctor.

Affiliated with the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he was a Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs and since 1997 he is the incumbent Mayor of the Municipal Chamber of Vila Nova de Gaia municipality (in Greater Porto subregion), one of the most populated Portuguese municipalities.

He was leader of the Social Democratic Party between September 2007 and May 31, 2008. He was elected after Luís Marques Mendes and was succeeded by Manuela Ferreira Leite.

Family

He married in Porto Civilly at the 2nd Conservatory of the Civil Register of Porto on March 20, 1980 and Religiously in Porto, Bonfim, on May 7, 1980 to Maria Cândida Valanzuela de Sampayo Tavares, born in Porto, Ramalde, on November 7, 1956, daughter of Amândio Gómez de Sampayo Tavares (Porto, Cedofeita, December 26, 1928), a Cathedratic Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, etc, and the Proprietor of the House of O Carballal in San Cristovo de Mourentán, Arbo, Pontevedra, Galicia, son of a Galician mother, and wife (m. September 11, 1952) María del Carmen Valanzuela y Simón (July 30, 1923 –), a Galician paternal granddaughter of an unknown paternal grandfather, and had issue, three sons:
* Luís Filipe Valanzuela Tavares de Menezes Lopes (b. December 20, 1980)
* Pedro Miguel Valanzuela Tavares de Menezes Lopes (b. June 16, 1982)
* João Francisco Valanzuela Tavares de Menezes Lopes (b. September 22, 1993)