Carlos Luz

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Coimbra and the second or paternal family name is Luz.

Carlos Coimbra da Luz (Portuguese: [ˈkaʁlus koˈĩbrɐ da ˈlus]; 4 August 1894 – 9 February 1961) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, teacher and journalist who served as acting president of Brazil from November 8 to November 11, 1955.

His Excellency Carlos Luz
19th President of Brazil
Acting 8 November 1955 – 11 November 1955
Vice President	None
Preceded by	Café Filho
Succeeded by	Nereu Ramos (acting)
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 3 February 1955 – 14 November 1955
Preceded by	Nereu Ramos
Succeeded by	Flores da Cunha
Other offices held 1960–1961 Federal Deputy for Minas Gerais 1955–1960 Federal Deputy for Minas Gerais 1947–1955 Federal Deputy for Minas Gerais 1946–1946 Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs 1939–1946 Chair of Caixa Econômica Federal 1935–1937 Federal Deputy for Minas Gerais 1933–1935 Secretary of the Interior of Minas Gerais 1932–1933 Secretary of Agriculture, Transport and Public Works of Minas Gerais 1923–1932 Mayor of Leopoldina
Personal details
Born	(1894-08-04)4 August 1894 Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died	9 February 1961(1961-02-09) (aged 66) Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Brazil
Political party	PSD
Spouse(s)	Maria José Dantas (died) Graciema Junqueira
Children	2
Alma mater	Federal University of Minas Gerais

After the political crisis following the Getúlio Vargas suicide in 1954, Carlos Luz was the second of three presidents who ruled Brazil in a brief period of 16 months. At the time of President Café Filho's alleged illness in 1955 he was the president of the Chamber of Deputies, and so the next in the line of succession to the presidency, since Filho had been the vice president under Vargas. Luz headed the government only three days in November 1955 and was replaced, as part of the 1955 Brazilian coup d'état, by the vice-president of the Senate Nereu Ramos on the orders of the Minister of Defence Henrique Teixeira Lott over his fear that Luz might support a plot to prevent President-elect Juscelino Kubitschek from taking office in January 1956. Luz was removed by Congress, under pressure by the military, declaring him unable to fulfill his duties.

Luz was married to his first wife, Maria José Dantas Luz, from 1920 until her death in 1924. They had two children together. Later, Luz remained married to Graciema da Luz until his death in Rio de Janeiro in February 1961.

As of 2023, Luz remains the shortest-serving president of Brazil.