Abel Fontoura da Costa

Abel Fontoura da Costa
Fontoura da Costa, c. 1923.
Colonial governor of Cape Verde
In office 1915–1918
Preceded by	Joaquím Pedro Vieira Júdice Bicker
Succeeded by	Teófilo Duarte
Personal details
Born	9 December 1869 Alpiarça center
Died	7 December 1940 Lisbon
Nationality	Portuguese

'Abel Fontoura da Costa. (9 December 1869 – 7 December 1940) was a Portuguese colonial administrator, a military personnel and a politician.

He attended at the Royal Military College where he was enlisted as a marine in 1887 and became ranked as a sea and military captain. In 1901, he took part in marking the boundary between (Portuguese) Angola and the (Belgian) Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). He was responsible as minister of agriculture from 9 January to 18 August 1923 and a marine general in 1923. He held different positions at the Marine High School Command in 1923. He was also director at the Navy School of Physical Education of the Army in 1932 and DIrector of the Navy School from 1936 to 1959. He was governor of Cape Verde between 1915 and 1918.

He did not took academic curriculum, he lectured for a few years before he became a rector at the Lisbon Central Lyceum from 1907 to 1910. He was member of the Portuguese Academy of Science ahd History in 1935 and commissioner of the Naval Museum in 1936 and president of the Lisbon(ese) Football Association in 1910.

On March 11, 1919, he was made Commander of the Military Order of Avis, together with another former governor of Cape Verde Bernardo António da Costa de Macedo became Grand Officer, later he became a Grand Officer of the same order on October 19, 1920.

He died on 7 December 1940 just two days before his 71st birthday.

He received decorations including: