13 Facts About Itamar Franco

Itamar Franco's family was from Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, where he grew up and became a civil engineer in 1955, graduating from the School of Engineering of Juiz de Fora, institute of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora.

Itamar Franco resigned as mayor in 1974 and ran successfully for the Federal Senate, representing Minas Gerais.

Itamar Franco soon became a senior figure in the Brazilian Democratic Movement the official opposition to the military regime that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985.

Itamar Franco served as deputy leader in 1976 and 1977.

In 1989, Itamar Franco left PL and joined the small PRN to be selected the running-mate of the presidential candidate Fernando Collor de Mello.

In 1993, Itamar Franco resisted calls from various military and civilian offices to shut down the Congress.

In late 1993, Itamar Franco offered a resignation in order to call an earlier election, but Congress turned it down.

Until Michel Temer in May 2016, Itamar Franco remained the last President of Brazil not to have been elected as such.

Itamar Franco was barred from running for a full term in 1994.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso became the official candidate to succeed Itamar Franco and was elected president in late 1994.

Itamar Franco considered a presidential run in 1998, but ultimately backed off after constitution changes allowed Cardoso to run again.

Itamar Franco served in the governor's seat until 2003 and was then the ambassador to Italy, until leaving the position in 2005.

Itamar Franco died on the morning of Saturday, 2 July 2011, after suffering a stroke.