Óscar Carmona

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GCA
Official portrait, 1930-1940
11th President of Portugal
In office 16 November 1926[1] – 18 April 1951
Prime Minister	Himself José Vicente de Freitas Artur Ivens Ferraz Domingos Oliveira António de Oliveira Salazar
Preceded by	Manuel Gomes da Costa
Succeeded by	Francisco Craveiro Lopes
Prime Minister of Portugal
In office 9 July 1926 – 18 April 1928
President	Himself
Deputy	Abílio Passos e Sousa
Preceded by	Manuel Gomes da Costa
Succeeded by	José Vicente de Freitas
Ministerial portfolios
1923–1923	War
1926–1926	Foreign Affairs
1926–1926	War
Sep 1926	Foreign Affairs (acting)
Personal details
Born	António Óscar de Fragoso Carmona (1869-11-24)24 November 1869 Order of St. James of the Sword
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Portugal  Portuguese Republic
Branch/service	Portuguese Army
Years of service	1889–1951
Rank	Marshal

António Óscar de Fragoso Carmona

Carmona was very active in the

In 1933, a new constitution officially established the "Estado Novo". On paper, the new document codified the dictatorial powers Carmona had exercised since 1926. However, in practice he left most of the day-to-day work of governing to Salazar. For all practical purposes, Carmona was now little more than a figurehead; Salazar held the real power. On paper, the president's power to dismiss Salazar was the only check on his power. However, Carmona mostly allowed Salazar a free hand. He was re-elected without opposition in 1935 and 1942 for seven-year terms. In 1935, he signed the law that forbade Freemasonry in Portugal reluctantly, due to his own Freemason past.

Although the democratic opposition was allowed to contest elections after World War II, Carmona was not on friendly terms with it. When the opposition demanded that the elections be delayed in order to give them more time to organize, Carmona turned them down.

However, there were widespread rumors that Carmona supported the failed military uprising in 1947, which was led by general José Marques Godinho to overthrow Salazar, under the condition that he would remain as President of the Republic. Probably to end these rumors, Carmona finally accepted the title of Marshal.

In 1949, Carmona, 79 years old, sought his fourth term as president. For the first time, he actually faced an opponent in General José Norton de Matos. However, it soon became apparent that Salazar would not allow Matos to actually run a campaign. The persecution grew so severe that Matos pulled out of the race on 12 February, handing Carmona another term.

Carmona died two years later, in 1951, after 24 years as the President of the Republic. He was buried in the Church of Santa Engrácia, National Pantheon, in Lisbon.

He was born to Maria Inês Côrte-Real de Melo Fragoso

He was the grand-uncle of the former Mayor of Lisbon Carmona Rodrigues (2004–2007). He was also the cousin of Brazilian President Augusto Tasso Fragoso.^[5]

His personal library was purchased by the National Library of Australia in 1967/8.^[6]

• Order of Aviz, Portugal (15 February 1919)^[7]
• Commander of the Order of Saint James of the Sword, Portugal (28 February 1919)^[7]
• Order of Christ, Portugal (28 June 1919)^[7]
• Order of Aviz, Portugal (5 October 1925) ^[7]
• Grande Master of the Portuguese Honorific Orders, Portugal (16 November 1926)^[1]
• Grand-Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Italy (25 April 1930)^[7]
• Grand-Collar of the Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows, Spain (1939)^[8]

Carmona wrote a book of rules for the Cavalry School in 1913.

The town of

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