# 1961 in Brazil

Events in the year 1961 in Brazil.

## Incumbents
### Federal government

* President:
** Juscelino Kubitschek (until 30 January)
** Jânio Quadros (from 31 January to 25 August)
** Ranieri Mazzilli (from 25 August to September 7)
** João Goulart (starting September 7)
* Prime Minister: Tancredo Neves (starting 8 September)
* Vice President:
** João Goulart (until 25 August)
** Vacant (from August 25)

### Governors

* Alagoas:
** Sebastião Muniz Falcão (until 31 January)
** Luis Cavalcante (from 31 January)
* Amazonas: Gilberto Mestrinho
* Bahia: Juracy Magalhães
* Ceará: Parsifal Barroso
* Espírito Santo:Raul Giuberti
* Goiás:
** José Feliciano Ferreira (until 31 January)
** Mauro Borges (from 31 January)
* Guanabara: Carlos Lacerda
* Maranhão: Newton de Barros Belo (from 31 January)
* Mato Grosso:
** João Ponce de Arruda (until 31 January)
** Fernando Corrêa da Costa (from 31 January)
* Minas Gerais:
** José Francisco Bias Fortes (until 31 January)
** José de Magalhães Pinto (from 31 January)
* Pará:
** Luís de Moura Carvalho (until 31 January)
** Aurélio do Carmo (from 31 January)
* Paraíba:
** José Fernandes de Lima (until 31 January)
** Pedro Gondim (from 31 January)
* Paraná:
** Moisés Lupion (until 31 January)
** Nei Braga (from 31 January)
* Pernambuco: Cid Sampaio
* Piauí: Chagas Rodrigues
* Rio de Janeiro:
** Roberto Silveira (until 28 February)
** Celso Peçanha (from 28 February)
* Rio Grande do Norte:
** Dinarte de Medeiros Mariz (until 31 January)
** Aluízio Alves (from 31 January)
* Rio Grande do Sul: Leonel Brizola
* Santa Catarina:
** Heriberto Hülse (until 31 January)
** Celso Ramos (from 31 January)
* São Paulo: Carlos Alberto Alves de Carvalho Pinto
* Sergipe: Luís Garcia

### Vice governors

* Alagoas:
** Sizenando Nabuco de Melo (until 31 January)
** Teotônio Brandão Vilela (from 31 January)
* Bahia: Orlando Moscoso
* Ceará: Wilson Gonçalves
* Espírito Santo: Raul Giuberti
* Goiás:
** João de Abreu (until 31 January)
** Antônio Rezende Monteiro (from 31 January)
* Maranhão:
** Alexandre Alves Costa (until 31 January)
** Alfredo Salim Duailibe (from 31 January)
* Mato Grosso:
** Henrique José Vieira Neto (until 31 January)
** Jose Garcia Neto (from 31 January)
* Minas Gerais:
** Artur Bernardes Filho (until 31 January)
** Clóvis Salgado da Gama (from 31 January)
* Pará: Newton Burlamaqui de Miranda (from 31 January)
* Paraíba:
** Pedro Gondim (until 31 January)
** André Avelino de Paiva Gadelha (from 31 January)
* Pernambuco: Pelópidas da Silveira
* Piauí: Tibério Nunes
* Rio de Janeiro:
** Celso Peçanha (until 1 March)
** Vacant thereafter (from 31 January)
* Rio Grande do Norte:
** José Augusto Varela (until 31 January)
** Walfredo Gurgel (from 31 January)
* Santa Catarina: Armindo Marcílio Doutel de Andrade (from 31 January)
* São Paulo: Porfírio da Paz
* Sergipe: Dionísio Machado

## Events
### January

* January 31: Jânio Quadros becomes the 22nd President of Brazil, succeeding Juscelino Kubitschek.

### August

* August 25-September 7: The Legality Campaign takes place, which aims to defend the inauguration of João Goulart as President of Brazil.
* August 25: Jânio Quadros resigns as President of the Republic. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Ranieri Mazzilli, takes over as the 23rd President of Brazil on an interim basis.

### September

* September 2: The National Congress of Brazil approves Constitutional Amendment No. 4, which establishes parliamentarism.
* September 7: João Goulart is sworn in as the 24th President of Brazil.
* September 8: The National Congress of Brazil approves the constitution of the first Council of Ministers.

### November

* November 1: A Panair do Brasil plane crashes near Recife airport, leaving 45 dead and 43 injured.
* November 23: Brazil restores diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, 14 years after their breakup.

### December

* December 17: An arson fire at the Niterói circus, kills more than 300 people and becomes the worst fire disaster in Brazilian history.
* December 20: Adilson Marcelino Alves, known as Dequinha, is arrested by the Rio de Janeiro police and confesses to being responsible for the fire at the Niterói circus.

## Births
### January

* January 1 – Rita Camata, politician and journalist

### March

* 7 March – Miguel Nicolelis, scientist

### September

* 8 September – Fernanda Abreu, singer

## Deaths
### April

* April 25 – Borges de Medeiros, lawyer and politician (born 1863)

### June

* June 22 – José de Mesquita (born 1892)

### December

* 31 December – Péricles, cartoonist (born 1924)