José Alencar Gomes da Silva
Vice-President of Brazil
Biography
ghe Vice-President of the Republic, José Alencar Gomes da Silva, was born on 17
October 1931 in the small town of Itamuri, municipality of Muriaé, in the Zona da Mata
of the state of Minas Gerais. His parents were Antônio Gomes da Silva and Dolores Peres
Gomes da Silva. When he turned 14, he left his father’s house to work as salesman in a
small haberdashers shop in the city of Muriaé. His monthly salary was of 600 cruzeiros.
Soon he got a better job offer and moved to Caratinga, where he remained working as a
salesman. At age 18, having been emancipated by his father, he opened a small store
named “A Queimadeira”, a word derived from the Portuguese “queima”, meaning sale.
The name was suggested by a Portuguese traveler, Mr. Lopes, who argued that “if it were
a bar it would be called Crystal Bar; but since it wasn’t it should be “A Queimadeira”, for
it would sell products at low prices…” There he sold a bit of all: cloths, shoes, hats,
umbrellas, threads, etc.
After “A Queimadeira”, the current Vice-President of the Republic worked as a traveling
salesman, cereal wholesaler, pasta factory owner, cloths wholesaler and garment industry
owner.
In 1967, together with Deputy Luiz de Paula Ferreira, an entrepreneur of the cotton
industry, he founded in Montes Claros what is today one of the largest textile industries
in the country, Coteminas, the Cloths Company from the North of Minas Gerais.
Coteminas currently includes 11 industrial units in four Brazilian states – Minas Gerais,
Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Santa Catarina – as well as one in Argentina. The 12
factories produce and distribute threads, cloths, t-shirts, socks, towels, bathrobes and
sheets for the domestic market, the United States, Europe and the Mercosur countries.
As a businessman, José Alencar Gomes da Silva also dedicated his time to corporate
entities, having headed the Trade Association of Ubá. He was also Director of Trade
Association of Minas Gerais, Head of the Industry Federation of the State of Minas
Gerais, and Vice-President of the National Confederation of Industry.
Reaffirming his vocation to serve – the conducting thread of his life as a businessman and
citizen – he placed his administrative experience to the service of Minas Gerais and
Brazil, running for the Government of the State in 1994, bringing with him a highly
ethical and civic posture that gave new vigor to the electoral campaign.
In 1998, he once again place ran for an office, this time in the Federal Senate, where he
was elected senator of the state of Minas Gerais, with an impressive number of votes:
almost three million votes.
Finally, in 2002 he joined candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and was elected VicePresident of the Republic for the period of 2003/2006.
He received countless titles of recognition, among which that of Doctor Honoris Causa,
granted by the University Council of the Federal University of Viçosa (MG), in
December 2002; Professor Honoris Causa, granted by the Upper Council of the Federal
University of Juiz de Fora (MG), in June 2003; Professor Honoris Causa, granted by the
Technical Administrative Council of Senai/Cetiqt, Rio de Janeiro, in July 2003; Doctor
Honoris Causa, granted by the University Council of the State University of Minas Gerais
– Unimontes, de Montes Claros (MG), in April 2004.
He was also granted the following badges of honor: National – Legislative Order of Merit
– 1985; Cairu Badge of Merit – 1985; Rio Branco Order, Officer – 1989; Work Judiciary
Merit Order, Commendatary – 1991; Military Merit Order, Grand-Cross – 2003; Military
Judiciary Merit Order, Grand-Cross – 2003; Peacemaker’s Medal – 2003; Rio Branco
Order, Grand-Cross – 2003; Naval Merit Order, Grand-Cross – 2003; Aviation Merit
Order, Grand-Cross – 2003; Work Judiciary Merit Order, Grand-Cross – 2003; Defense
Merit Order, Grand-Cross – 2003. State - Medal of the Trade Association of Minas
Gerais – Prominent Businessman – 1970; Medal of the Trade Association of Minas
Gerais - Prominent Businessman – 1975; Industrial Merit Badge – 1976; Great Medal of
the Inconfidência – 1983; Santos Dumont Merit Medal – 1985; Legislative Merit Order
Medal – 1985; Alferes Tiradentes Medal – Bicentennarian of the Inconfidência Mineira –
1989; Commemorative Medal of the Day of the State of Minas Gerais – 1989; Great
Trade Merit Medal – 1987; Municipal Merit Badge - 2003; Public Prosecutor Ozanam
Coelho Medal – 2003; Great Necklace of Order of the Public Ministry of the Federal
District and Territories – 2003; Legislative Municipal Great Merit Necklace – Municipal
Chamber of Belo Horizonte – 2003; Aperipê Merit Order – Government of the State of
Sergipe – 2004; Minister José Maria de Alkmim Merit Necklace of the Court of Accounts
Court of the State of Minas Gerais – 2004.
He is also an Honorary Citizen of the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Sergipe and
of the Federal District, as well as of the following Brazilian municipalities: Além Paraíba,
Alpinópolis, Araguari, Arcos, Belo Horizonte, Betim, Bom Despacho, Carangola,
Caratinga, Cataguases, Divinópolis, Formiga, Frutal, Guaxupé, Itabira, Ituiutaba,
Janaúba, João Monlevade, Juiz de Fora, Lavras, Leopoldina, Mariana, Monte Alegre,
Monte Carmelo, Montes Claros, Paracatu, Pará de Minas, Paraopeba, Passos, Patos de
Minas, Patrocínio, Pirapora, Poços de Caldas, Ponte Nova, Pouso Alegre, Prata, Rosário
da Limeira, Santa Luzia, São João del Rei, São Sebastião do Paraíso, Sete Lagoas,
Teófilo Otoni, Timóteo, Tiradentes, Três Corações, Tupaciguara, Turmalina, Ubá,
Uberaba, Uberlândia, Varginha and Várzea da Palma, all of Minas Gerais, Campina
Grande (PB) and Natal (RN).
José Alencar Gomes da Silva is married to Mrs. Mariza Campos Gomes da Silva and has
three children: Josué Christiano, Maria da Graça and Patrícia.