FHC

Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC) was born June 18, 1931 (92 years ago) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  He is descended from wealthy Portuguese immigrants.  Cardoso has lived most of his life in Sao Paulo (where I also live).

Cardoso studied sociology at the prestigious University of Sao Paulo (USP), earning a bachelor's degree plus a Master's and Doctorate in sociology.  He became a professor of both sociology and political science also at USP.  Cardoso is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

In 1994, Cardoso, as a member of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), was elected President of the Federative Republic of Brazil with 54% of the votes in the first round of voting (with multiple candidates).  This still the highest percentage ever recorded in Brazilian history.  

In 1998, Cardoso was re-elected to a second four year term as president with 53% of the votes.  He stepped down from the presidency on January 1, 2003.

In March 2007, I moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located.  After checking into a local Days Inn, I toured the campus.  I noticed  an advertisement promoting a speech (about the economy of South America) that would be given that night on campus by the former president of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

I attended the speech along with every Brazilian who lived in the area.  It was an overflow crowd.  After the speech, there was a reception in which many Brazilians wanted to get a photo of themselves along with Cardoso.

At one point, I found myself standing near him.  I shook his hand and said in Portuguese, "Voce e muito popular (You are very popular)."  He looked at me with a quizzical expression on his face.  He did not respond to me and others soon crowded around him.  I learned later that I should have referred to him as "o senhor (mister or sir)" instead of voce.

Happy birthday Fernando Henrique Cardoso.