Leonardo Mathias
 Leonardo Mathias    (diplomat) | ||||||||||
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| Died | 22 April 2020 | |||||||||
| Nationality | Portugese | |||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Lisboa | |||||||||
| Parents | Marcelo Mathias | |||||||||
| Spouse | Isabel Manuela Teixeira Bandeira de Mello | |||||||||
| Interests | Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation | |||||||||
Attended Bilderberg 1986 as Portugal/Ambassador to the US. Had all the top Ambassadorships in Portuguese diplomacy.
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Leonardo Charles Zaffiri Duarte Mathias was a Portugese diplomat who had all the top jobs in Portuguese diplomacy. He attended Bilderberg 1986 as Portugal/Ambassador to the US.
Family and Early Life
He was son of the diplomat and politician from the Estado Novo era Marcelo Mathias and his wife Fedora Charles Zaffiri. Leonardo took a degree in Historical and Philosophical Sciences from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.
Career
He began a career in the field of diplomacy in 1960. He was posted to South Africa as Consul in Cape Town in 1963, at a time when South Africa was giving extensive support to Portugal in an attempt to stop the independence of its colonies.
Mathias was part of the journey between the Estado Novo and the new democratic regime. Mathias identified himself, unambiguously, with the former, especially with regard to colonial policy, in which he believed and which he defended, with pride and brilliance.[1]
As diplomat, he was Ambassador of Portugal to Iraq in 1976; Deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations in 1979; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1981 to 1982; Ambassador of Portugal to the United States of America in 1982; Permanent Representative to the European Economic Community in 1986; Ambassador of Portugal to Brazil in 1989; and to Spain in 1994.
When retired, he also served as administrator of the Portuguese Red Cross and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.[2] He was a member of the Board of Directors of Partex Oil and Gas Corporation, between 2002 and 2008, a company wholly owned by the Foundation at that time.[3]
He died in Lisbon on April 22, 2020, victim of oncological disease.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1986 | 25 April 1986 | 27 April 1986 | Scotland Gleneagles Hotel | The 34th Bilderberg, 109 participants |
