António Lopes dos Santos

António Adriano de Faria Lopes dos Santos (1917 - August 2, 2009) was a Portuguese former army general who served as the Governor of Macau from April 17, 1962, until November 25, 1966. He also served as the last Portuguese colonial governor of Cape Verde. Lopes dos Santos, an army officer, engineer and Staff Corp member, spent most of his career overseas based in the Portuguese Overseas Territories, including Mozambique, Macau, Guinea and Cape Verde. He held top military posts in Portugal both before and after the Carnation Revolution.

Colonial posts
Lopes dos Santos served as a district governor of Portuguese Mozambique, from 1959 until 1962.

In 1962, Lopes dos Santos was appointed the Governor of Macau and chief of staff of Macau's garrison. He held these posts until 1966, but remained involved with Macanese even after his departure. He was succeeded as Governor by José Manuel de Sousa e Faro Nobre de Carvalho.

Lopes dos Santos was further promoted to Major General. He was appointed as the Senior Assistant to the Portuguese Guinea Commander in Chief under Governor António de Spínola from 1968 until 1970. (Portuguese Guinea is the present-day nation of Guinea-Bissau).

He was further appointed as the last colonial Governor of Cape Verde in 1970. He held the governorship of the islands until the aftermath of the April 25th, 1974, Carnation Revolution in Portugal. The revolution led to the achievement of independence for most of Portugal's overseas colonies.

Antonio Lopes dos Santos became Deputy Army Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Army following the Carnation Revolution. He also became head of both the Military Studies Centre and the Military Disciplinary High Council.

Later life
Lopes dos Santos last official appointment was as the director of the Portuguese National Defense Institute.

He remained involved in relations between Macau and Portugal. Lopes dos Santos became the president of the Jorge Álvares Foundation (Fundação Jorge Álvares), or FJA, in 2000. He remained head of the Jorge Álvares Foundation, a group dedicated to the strengthening of ties between Portugal and Macau, until his death in 2009. He also served as the head of the Portugal-China Friendship Association (AAPC).

Lopes dos Santos spent much of his free time during retirement hunting.

Death
Governor General Antonio Lopes dos Santos died in Lisbon, Portugal, on August 2, 2009, at the age of 92.

Reacting to Lopes dos Santos' death, General Garcia Leandro, another former Governor of Macau, told the Macau Daily Times, that Lopes dos Santos went through "very difficult times, under the political and economic perspectives, and he always showed his capability to find very balanced consensus through moderation and hardwork". Leandro added that, "for these qualities he (Lopes dos Santos) was deeply respected in Macau". Leandro also elaborated on Lopes dos Santos' commitment to Macau noting, "He was totally involved in his last and long activity, giving an important contribution for the reinforcement of those links."