Mouzinho da Silveira
José Xavier Mouzinho da Silveira $nbsp;was born in the parish of S. João Baptista in Castelo de Vide, in July 12th 1780, son of Francisco Xavier de Gomide and Domingas Angélica Subtil, both born in Castelo de Vide.
In 1785 he began his primary school in the town and in 1797 finishes his secondary education in Coimbra and sign up in the first year of Faculty of Law to become Bachelor of Laws at the University of Coimbra. In 1797 (1802) he returned to Castelo de Vide where he worked as lawyer. His first public office was Magistrate in Marvão in 1809. Some years later he was transferred to Setúbal, where he married Teresa Guilhermina.
In 1832 is constituted the Ministério Liberal (TN:in this period $nbsp;liberal means the party of prince Pedro, who was in war with his brother prince Miguel). Mouzinho is entitled Minister for Trade and also for Justice and made laws about the following subjects:
- Guarantees of person and property;
- Extinction of the tithe tax in the Azores;
- Freedom of property (extinction of the law of majorat);
- Reform of the Customs (Azores);
- Rules against Abuse of Power;
- Abolition of Confiscation of Private Property as a punishment;
- Determines the principle of the inviolability of private property;
- Abolition of the heavy transfer tax;
- Determines that debts contracted in the Azores should be paid with the tobacco production of the archipelago;
- Declares the harbor of Praia free;
- Legislation protecting the island Corvo;
- Organization and administration of the Exchequer (Dec. Nº 22);
- Administrative organization. He divided Portugal in provinces, districts and municipalities (Dec. Nº23);
- Administrative organization dividing Portugal in judicial areas, districts, District Courts and parishes (Dec. Nº 24).
In that same year, breaks the Civil War, Mouzinho was member of the liberal committee, he asked for resignation from the Ministry due to the what happened at the Siege of Porto.
In 1833 he geot full powers to to handle as he considered suitable to serve the cause of queen Maria II and the Carta (Constitutional Charter), one year later he was again entitled Director-General of Customs.
1835 ? He was elected deputy.
1836 ? He declined the entitling to Par do Reino (Peer of the Realm). The September Revolution took place and was proclaimed the Constitution Charter of 1822. Mouzinho refused to obey to that constitution. He leaved to France quite deluded and sad with the Portuguese political situation. He came back in 1839 and was chosen to deputy of Alentejo. One year later he stopped definitively with politics.$nbsp;
He died in Lisbon in April 4th 1849. He was buried in the graveyard of Margem, a little village in de municipality of Gavião, Portalegre.