Juscelino Kubitschek

Kubitschek was born into a poor family in Diamantina, Minas Gerais. His father, João César de Oliveira (1872–1905), who died when Juscelino was two years old, was a traveling salesman. He was raised by his mother, a schoolteacher named Júlia Kubitschek (1873–1973). His mother was of part Czech and Roma descent. He was educated at a seminary school in Diamantina, where he was an average student.

Kubitschek attended the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte when he turned twenty. He became a licensed medical doctor after seven years of schooling. He then went to live in Europe for a few months after graduating eventually returning to Brazil after the revolution of 1930 that marked the ascension of President Getúlio Vargas.

In 1931, Kubitschek joined the Public Force of Minas Gerais as a doctor. There, he became acquainted with Benedito Valadares, the Governor of Minas Gerais. Valadares named Kubitschek his chief of staff in 1932. Two years later, Kubitschek ran for office for the first time, becoming a federal deputy with the support of Partido Progressista (Progressive Party). However, his term was revoked during the Estado Novo. After this, he briefly returned to practicing medicine.

In 1940, he was appointed Mayor of Belo Horizonte; in 1945, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies with the support of Partido Social Democrático (Social Democratic Party) and was noted to be ambitious in his push to expand public works and improve infrastructure. It was in his term as Mayor of Belo Horizonte that he would establish a strong, professional relationship with the renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer, who would later become instrumental in designing Brasília. Kubitschek at this time commissioned Oscar Niemeyer to design several municipal buildings in Belo Horizonte.

In 1950, Kubitschek ran for Governor of Minas Gerais. He defeated Bias Fortes in the PSD primary election, and defeated Gabriel Passos (his brother-in-law) in the general election. As governor, he focused on transportation and energy policy. He is credited with establishing a state-owned energy corporation that built five new power plants, and improving public infrastructure.

Healthcare

As a practicing doctor, Juscelino was passionate about reforming healthcare. Kubitschek campaigned on establishing a central health bureaucracy that previously did not exist to address rural health issues more adequately. The most notable is DNERU which was an agency created to address tuberculosis and malaria, and issue vaccines in areas of the country where access to healthcare was scarce.

In December 1931, he married Sarah Lemos, with whom he had a daughter, Márcia, in 1943. The couple also adopted Maria Estela in 1947.

In 1980, Márcia married Cuban-American ballet star Fernando Bujones. She was elected to the National Congress of Brazil in 1987 and served as lieutenant governor of the Federal District from 1991 to 1994.

Allegations of corruption

Kubitschek's government was often accused of corruption. The accusations began at the time he was governor and intensified during his presidency, when the construction of Brasília began. There were serious reasons to believe that people connected to Juscelino had been favored in the construction. Also, the airline Pan-Air Brazil held a monopoly on the transport of people and goods during this period, yet another source of controversy.

During his time in office, Time magazine wrote that he had the seventh greatest fortune in the world, a claim that was never proven. In fact, upon his death many years later, it was shown he had earned very modest means. This did not stop a candidate for the next presidency, Jânio Quadros, from stating during his presidential campaign that he would "sweep the corruption out of the country". Later, during the military regime, Juscelino would be questioned about the corruption allegations and about his supposed ties with communist groups.

Kubitschek was succeeded by Jânio Quadros in 1961. After the military took power in 1964, Kubitschek's political rights were suspended for 10 years. He went into self-imposed exile and stayed in numerous U.S. and European cities.