Duarte Leite

Duarte Leite
File:Duarte Leite.jpg
Minister for Finances
In office September 3, 1911 – November 12, 1911
Prime Minister	João Chagas
Preceded by	José Relvas
Succeeded by	Sidónio Pais
58th Prime Minister of Portugal (4th of the Republic)
In office June 16, 1912 – January 9, 1913
President	Manuel de Arriaga
Preceded by	Augusto de Vasconcelos
Succeeded by	Afonso Costa
Minister for Internal Affairs
In office June 16, 1912 – September 23, 1912
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Silvestre Falcão
Succeeded by	Augusto de Vasconcelos
Personal details
Born	(1864-08-11)August 11, 1864 Porto, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	September 29, 1950(1950-09-29) (aged 86) Porto, Portuguese Republic
Political party	Portuguese Republican Party
Alma mater	University of Coimbra
Occupation	Professor of mathematics and astronomy, mathematician, historian, newspaper editor, journalist and diplomat

Duarte Leite Pereira da Silva, GCC (Porto, 11 August 1864 - Porto, 29 September 1950; Portuguese pronunciation: [duˈaɾt(ɨ) ˈlɐjt(ɨ)], was a Portuguese historian, mathematician, journalist, diplomat and politician. He graduated in Mathematics at the University of Coimbra, in 1885. He taught at the Politecnic Academy of Porto, from 1886 to 1911. Meanwhile he was also the director of the newspaper diary "A Pátria". As a historian, he published many studies, later compiled in "História dos Descobrimentos" (History of the Discoveries), in 2 volumes.

After the overthrow of the Portuguese monarchy in 1910, he was Minister of Finance during the Augusto de Vasconcelos government (1911–1912), and succeeded him, as Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs, from 16 June 1912 to 9 January 1913.

From 1914 to 1931 he served as Portuguese ambassador to Brazil. Faithful all his life to his left-wing republican principles, he became a member of the 1945-48 Movement of Democratic Unity, which during its brief lifespan functioned as a form of legalized opposition to Dr. Salazar's Catholic, right-wing Estado Novo (New State) government.