Carlos Mota Pinto


Carlos Alberto da Mota Pinto, GCC, GCIP, was a Portuguese professor and politician.

Career

He graduated as a Licentiate in Law and Doctorate in Judicial Sciences from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra. He was also a Professor at the Portuguese Catholic University and several foreign universities. Still today, his doctrine is very influential in the Portuguese legal community, mainly in what comes to Civil Law.
After the Carnation Revolution, on 25 April 1974, he helped in the foundation, jointly with Francisco Sá Carneiro, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Joaquim Magalhães Mota, João Bosco Mota Amaral, Alberto João Jardim, António Barbosa de Melo and António Marques Mendes, of the Popular Democratic Party. He was elected Deputy to the Constituent Assembly and to the Assembly of the Republic for PPD. Having distanced himself from Sá Carneiro, they would reconcile. He would again return to the party to serve as Vice-President in 1983 and President in 1984 and 1985.
He was also Minister for Commerce and Tourism in the 1st Constitutional Government, Prime Minister of the 4th Constitutional Government between 1978 and 1979 when he was appointed by then President António Ramalho Eanes, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Defense of the 9th Constitutional Government from 1983 to 1985.
He died suddenly during 1985, in Coimbra, days before the Congress that gave the Presidency of the party to Aníbal Cavaco Silva.

Decorations

He was awarded with the Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ and the Order of Public Instruction.

Family

He married Maria Fernanda Cardoso Correia and had three sons: