"Ulisses Guimarães: The Voice of Democracy in Contemporary Brazil"

Ulisses Silveira Guimarães was a Brazilian politician born on October 6, 1916 and died on October 12, 1992. He was a prominent figure in Brazilian politics, especially during the period of the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985). Guimarães was born in São João do Piauí, in the state of Piauí. He graduated in Law from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and began his political career as a state deputy in São Paulo, representing the Social Progressive Party (PSP). During the military dictatorship, Guimarães was a courageous critic of the regime. He was one of the founders of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), an opposition party permitted by the military regime. Later, with the redemocratization of Brazil, he was one of the main organizers of the 1987 National Constituent Assembly, which drafted the 1988 Federal Constitution, still in force in the country. In his political career, Guimarães was also president of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies five times. He played a crucial role in Brazil's democratic transition, being a strong voice for human rights and democracy. Tragically, Ulisses Guimarães died in a helicopter accident in 1992, along with his wife, when the helicopter they were in crashed into the sea near the coast of Rio de Janeiro. His death was a significant loss for Brazilian politics, and he is remembered as a symbol of the fight for democracy in the country.