Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Military Engineer Person An individual. Birth Date 1806-11-02 Birthplace Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal Death Date 1875-10-19 Training Institution Universidade de Coimbra Occupation Military Engineer Teacher Biographical Text José Vitorino Damásio was a military engineer and Portuguese professor. He was born on November 2, 1806, in Santa Maria da Feira. He was the son of José António Damásio and D. Maria Madalena Damásio and married D. Maria Teresa Ripamonte Damásio. At the age of 20, in 1826, he enrolled in the University of Coimbra to study Mathematics and Philosophy. His military career began when he was still studying in college. In 1828 he joined the Academic Volunteers Battalion as a corporal in the Second Company to fight for the liberal cause during the Portuguese Civil War. Following the coup of Belfastada, he exiled himself first in Spain, in Galicia, then in England, in Plymouth, and finally in the Azores, to join D. Pedro. After taking part in the expeditions of the islands of Pico, S. Jorge and S. Miguel, in 1832 he participated as second lieutenant of Artillery in the Landing at Mindelo, being present at the Siege of Porto. It was only when the war ended that Vitorino Damásio returned to the university to complete his studies, which happened in 1837 when he received the bachelor's degree. However, he would return to military life. In 1846 he was promoted to chief of the General Staff, having participated in several missions in the North of Portugal. It was only after the Gramido convention in 1847 that he resigned from the army. His professional civilian life started as an engineer teacher. Between 1838 and 1851 he taught at the Polytechnic Academy of Porto, where he was responsible for the subjects of Engineering, Stability, Construction of Steam and Hydraulic Machines. In 1842 he took part in the construction works of the Porto suspension bridge, assisting the engineer Bigot in the calculations of resistance and balance. Followed the collaboration with the Companhia das Obras Públicas, having been one of the main engineers responsible for the introduction of the cylinder system designed by the French engineer Antoine-Rémy Polonceau on the road from Alto da Bandeira to Carvalhos, a technique unknown in Portugal. In 1845 he was in charge of studying telegraph systems in France and England to adapt them in Portugal, having subsequently been one of the pioneers of electric telegraphy in the country. After a second trip to these countries in 1854, Vitorino Damásio was appointed first responsible for the General Directorate of Telegraphs of the Kingdom of Portugal. Consequently, in 1865 he represented Portugal at the International Telegraph Conference in Paris. The following year he was the man behind the telegraph network between Porto and Barca d 'Alva. Still in Lisbon, he held the positions of rector of the Industrial Institute between 1853 and 1859 and director of Companhia das Águas in 1868. In the 1850s Vitorino Damásio was appointed to the Central Commission for Weights and Measures, designed to implement the decimal metric system in Portugal and to the Commission charged with overseeing the construction of steam engines. Moreover, it was under his direction that the machine for the first mechanical rope making factory and that the first steam engine was built in the capital of northern Portugal. Two years later, in 1852, he created the program “Aid for wrecked Ships” in the Port of Leixões, a lifeline for ships at risk, assuming the responsibility of first commander. These experiments resulted in his discovery that fibrous iron becomes granular due to an instantaneous explosion, an extraordinary technological revolution. Still in 1852, Vitorino Damásio was appointed a member of the General Council for Public Works and Mines, where he worked for 23 years, from 1853 to 1876, first as a member of that Council and later as a member of the Advisory Board. He also worked in the railways sector. In 1855, he was the commissioner sent by the government of the Duke of Saldanha to the Universal Exposition of Paris, in order to study developments made abroad in this area. He held several positions in this sector, namely Chairman of the Eastern Railway Administration Commission in 1858, Inspector of Public Works and Member of the commission in charge of examining the rolling stock of the Eastern railway in 1861 and also Chairman of the evaluation of the Southeast Railway. His life was also marked by many other achievements. Vitorino Damásio founded, with Faria Guimarães, the Fundição do Bolhão, introducing the manufacturing industry of enamelled and tin-plated cast iron dishes. In 1848 he was one of the founders of Associação Industrial Portuense and, consequently, of Jornal O Industrial Portuense, a periodical published between 1845 and 1846. He was a member and president of the Association of Portuguese Civil Engineers. He was the author of several articles on the calculation of the strength of metal bridges and on the economic railways. Vitorino Damásio was awarded the degrees of commander in the Military Order of Avis in 1859 and knight in the Military Order of the Tower and Sword for acts of bravery in the Siege of Porto. He was also given the letter from His Majesty's Council for his performance as General Director of Telegraphs. Still, in his honor, the name of Vitorino Damásio was placed at the School of Industrial Design in Torres Novas and in one of the most important squares in the Santos-o-Velho area, in Lisbon. José Vitorino Damásio passed away at the age of 68 in Lisbon, on October 19, 1875. Bibliography LIMA, A. (2010). "José Vitorino Damásio (1806-1875)". In Bicentenário do Corpo Telegráfico 1810-2010. Lisboa, Comissão da História das Transmissões, pp. 90-96. ALVES, J. (1995). José Vitorino Damásio e a Telegrafia Eléctrica em Portugal. Lisboa, Fundação das Telecomunicações. ALVES, J. (1996). "O emergir das associações industriais no Porto (meados do século XIX)". In Análise Social, Vol. XXXI (136-137), pp. 527-544. PAULA Diogo, M., CARDOSO DE MATOS, A. (2009). "Le Rôle des Ingénieurs dans l'Administration Portugaise, 1852-1900". In Quaderns d'Història de l'Enginyeria, Vol. X, pp. 351-365. ABRAGÃO, F. (1956). No Centenário dos Caminhos de Ferro de Portugal. Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro, Nº1645, pp. 265-269. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource José Vitorino Damásio Profile Subject The topic of the resource Individual Actors, Technician, Military Engineer, José Vitorino Damásio Description An account of the resource José Vitorino Damásio Profile Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource PT BUILDS Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived LIMA, A. (2010). "José Vitorino Damásio (1806-1875)". In Bicentenário do Corpo Telegráfico 1810-2010. Lisboa, Comissão da História das Transmissões, pp. 90-96. ALVES, J. (1995). José Vitorino Damásio e a Telegrafia Eléctrica em Portugal. Lisboa, Fundação das Telecomunicações. ALVES, J. (1996). "O emergir das associações industriais no Porto (meados do século XIX)". In Análise Social, Vol. XXXI (136-137), pp. 527-544. PAULA Diogo, M., CARDOSO DE MATOS, A. (2009). "Le Rôle des Ingénieurs dans l'Administration Portugaise, 1852-1900". In Quaderns d'Història de l'Enginyeria, Vol. X, pp. 351-365. Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available PT BUILDS Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-08-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource PT BUILDS Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource TEXT Language A language of the resource ENG Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context IA92DOC1 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1808-1875, Portugal