# 1979 in Brazil

Events in the year 1979 in Brazil.

## Incumbents
### Federal government

* President:
** General Ernesto Geisel (until 14 March)
** General João Figueiredo (starting 15 March)
* Vice President:
** General Adalberto Pereira dos Santos (until 14 March)
** Aureliano Chaves (starting 15 March)

### Governors

* Acre:
** Geraldo Mesquita (until 15 March)
** Joaquim Macedo (from 15 March)
* Alagoas:
** Geraldo Mello (until 15 March)
** Guilherme Palmeira (from 15 March)
* Amazonas:
** Henoch da Silva Reis (until 15 March)
** José Bernardino Lindoso (from 15 March)
* Bahia:
** Roberto Santos (until 15 March)
** Antônio Carlos Magalhães (from 15 March)
* Ceará:
** Waldemar Alcântara (until 15 March)
** Virgílio Távora (from 15 March)
* Espírito Santo:
** Élcio Álvares (until 15 March)
** Eurico Vieira Resende (from 15 March)
* Goiás:
** Irapuan Costa Jr. (until 15 March)
** Ary Valadão (from 15 March)
* Maranhão:
** Oswaldo da Costa Nunes Freire (until 15 March)
** João Castelo (from 15 March)
* Mato Grosso:
** Cássio Leite de Barros (until 15 March)
** Frederico Campos (from 15 March)
* Mato Grosso do Sul:
** Harry Amorim Costa (until 12 June)
** Londres Machado (12 June-30 June)
** Marcelo Miranda Soares (from 30 June)
* Minas Gerais:
** Levindo Ozanan Coelho (until 15 March)
** Francelino Pereira (from 15 March)
* Pará:
** Clóvis Rego (until 15 March)
** Alacid Nunes (from 15 March)
* Paraíba:
** Dorgival Terceiro Neto (until 15 March)
** Tarcísio Burity (from 15 March)
* Paraná:
** Jaime Canet Júnior (until 15 March)
** Nei Braga (from 15 March)
* Pernambuco:
** Francisco Moura Cavalcanti (until 15 March)
** Marco Maciel (from 15 March)
* Piauí:
** Djalma Veloso (until 15 March)
** Lucídio Portela (from 15 March)
* Rio de Janeiro:
** Floriano P. Faria Lima (until 15 March)
** Antônio Chagas Freitas (from 15 March)
* Rio Grande do Norte:
** Tarcisio de Vasconcelos Maia (until 15 March)
** Lavoisier Maia (from 1rio 5 March)
* Rio Grande do Sul:
** Sinval Sebastião Duarte Guazzelli (until 15 March)
** José Augusto Amaral de Souza (from 15 March)
* Santa Catarina:
** Antônio Carlos Konder Reis (until 15 March)
** Jorge Bornhausen (from 15 March)
* São Paulo:
** Paulo Egídio Martins (until 15 March)
** Paulo Maluf (from 15 March)
* Sergipe:
** José Rollemberg (until 15 March)
** Augusto Franco (from 15 March)

### Vice governors

* Acre:
** Omar Sabino de Paula (until 15 March)
** José Fernandes Rego (from 15 March)
* Alagoas:
** Antônio Guedes Amaral (until 15 March)
** Teobaldo Vasconcelos Barbosa (from 15 March)
* Amazonas:
** João Bosco Ramos de Lima (until 15 March)
** Paulo Pinto Nery (from 15 March)
* Bahia:
** Edvaldo Brandão Correia (until 15 March)
** Luis Viana Neto (from 15 March)
* Ceará:
** José Waldemar de Alcântara e Silva (until 15 March)
** Manuel de Castro Filho (from 15 March)
* Espírito Santo:
** Carlos Alberto Lindenberg von Schilgen (until 15 March)
** José Carlos Fonseca (from 15 March)
* Goiás:
** José Luís Bittencourt (until 15 March)
** Rui Brasil Cavalcanti (from 15 March)
* Maranhão:
** José Duailibe Murad (until 15 March)
** Artur Teixeira de Carvalho (from 15 March)
* Mato Grosso:
** Cássio Leite de Barros (until 15 March)
** José Vilanova Torres (from 15 March)
* Mato Grosso do Sul: Vacant
* Minas Gerais:
** Levindo Ozanam Coelho (until 15 March)
** João Marques de Vasconcelos (from 15 March)
* Pará: Gerson dos Santos Peres (from 15 March)
* Paraíba: Clóvis Cavalcanti (from 15 March)
* Paraná:
** Octávio Cesário Pereira Júnior (until 15 March)
** José Hosken de Novaes (from 15 March)
* Pernambuco:
** Paulo Gustavo de Araújo Cunha (until 15 March)
** Roberto Magalhães Melo (from 15 March)
* Piauí:
** Genibaldo Barros (until 15 March)
** Waldemar de Castro Macedo (from 15 March)
* Rio de Janeiro: Hamilton Xavier
* Rio Grande do Norte: Geraldo Melo
* Rio Grande do Sul:
** José Augusto Amaral de Sousa (until 15 March)
** Otávio Badui Germano (from 15 March)
* Santa Catarina:
** Marcos Henrique Büechler (until 15 March)
** Henrique Hélion Velho de Córdova (from 15 March)
* São Paulo:
** Ferreira Filho (until 15 March)
** José Maria Marin (from 15 March)
* Sergipe:
** Antônio Ribeiro Sotelo (until 15 March)
** Djenal Tavares Queiroz (from 15 March)

## Events
### January

* January 1: Mato Grosso do Sul is officially recognized as a federative unit of Brazil.

### February

* February 7: Nazi criminal Josef Mengele suffers a stroke and drowns while swimming in Bertioga. His remains are found six years later.

### March

* March 15: João Figueiredo is sworn in as the 30th President of Brazil.

### May

* May 11: Eunice Michiles becomes the first woman to hold a seat in the Federal Senate.

### August

* August 17: The National Association of Newspapers is founded, with the aim of defending freedom of the press.
* August 28: President João Figueiredo signs the Amnesty Law. This law would grant amnesty for political crimes and crimes with a political nexus committed by members of the armed forces or member of the government between September 2, 1961 and August 15, 1979.

### November

* November 6: Dr. Roberto Farina is acquitted of all criminal liability in connection with the first male-to-female gender-affirming surgery performed in Brazil.

## Births
### January

* January 3 –
** Adriano, footballer
** Lucas Severino, footballer
* January 7 – Ricardo Maurício, racecar driver

### February

* February 1 –
** Clodoaldo Silva, Paralympic swimmer
** Juan, Brazilian footballer

### March

* March 26 – Juliana Paes, actress and former model

### April

* April 2 – Grafite, footballer

### June

* June 29 – Artur Avila, mathematician

### July

* July 6 – Luize Altenhofen, model and actress
* July 19 – Ellen Rocche, model
* July 27 – Marielle Franco, politician (died 2018)

### August

* August 16 – Eduardo Maiorino, mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (died 2012)

### September

* September 3 – Júlio César, professional footballer
* September 14Antônio Silva, kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter
* September 24 – Fábio Aurélio, footballer
* September 27 – Danilo Gentili, comedian and television host

### October

* October 28 – Glover Teixeira, mixed martial artist

### December

* December 7 – Ronaldo Souza, mixed martial arts fighter

## Deaths

* December 22 – Francisco Cavalcanti Pontes de Miranda, lawyer and diplomat (born 1892)