João Camilo de Oliveira Torres (1915-1973)
I wanted to meet this particular Mineiro because he had authored a series of books exploring the separation of powers in Brazilian national government. He had done this by focusing on the transition from Empire to Republic in 1889 and the years thereafter.
In extended conversations with him I learned how the jurisdictional principles of Europe (or Portugal) had been adopted for this largely agrarian land.
Torres, like many university professors, found that his meager state salary left him and his family a bit short. So he moonlighted as an expert consultant on Brazil’s chaotic federal social security system—quite a feat because it was very labyrinthian.
Further Readings
Torres, João. História de Minas Gerais. Belo Horizonte: Difusão Pan-Americana do Livro, 1962.
Torres, João. Estratificação social no Brasil: suas origens históricas e suas relações com a organização política do país. São Paulo: Centro Latino-Americano de Pesquisas em Ciências Sociais, Difusão Européia do Livro, 1965.
Torres, João. interpretacão da realidade brasileira. B2nd ed. Rio de Janeiro: J. Olympio, 1973.
João Camilo de Oliveira Torres was born in Itabira, Minas Gerais. He taught at the Catholic University of Minas Gerais, as well as the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He was a member of the Mineira Academy of Letters. He also served as superintendent of the National Social Security Institute.