QUADROS, JNIO DA SILVA

born Jan. 25, 1917, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso, Brazil died Feb. 16, 1992, So Paulo Brazilian politician who unexpectedly resigned the presidency after serving only seven months (Jan. 31Aug. 25, 1961). A colourful and sometimes eccentric populist, he campaigned with a broom as a symbol of his pledge to sweep out corruption. Quadros graduated from the University of So Paulo in 1939. He practiced law and taught Portuguese history and literature before entering politics in 1945. After Quadros was elected to the So Paulo city council (1947), he adopted the broom for his successful 1951 campaign for state deputy of So Paulo. As mayor of So Paulo (195354), he balanced the city budget in less than a year, and he had similar economic success as governor of the state (195458). A charismatic campaigner, he attracted the votes of the poor by affecting the image of a commoner with a rumpled appearance. As president, Quadros banned bikini swimsuits, cockfights, and advertising in movie theatres, and he created a stir in foreign affairs when he reestablished diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, refused to support U.S. President John F. Kennedy's Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and decorated the Latin-American guerrilla leader Che Guevara. Quadros stunned the nation with his sudden resignation, enigmatically citing the terrible forces conspiring against him. In 1965 the military ousted his successor, and in 1968 Quadros was stripped of his political rights and sent into exile. After receiving amnesty in 1980, he returned to So Paulo, where he unsuccessfully ran for governor. He later served two terms as mayor of So Paulo (198588) before ill health forced him to retire.