Wilson Barbosa Martins

With the Revolution of 1932, the family engaged in the fight against the government of then President Getúlio Vargas. Wilson's father and other relatives commanded battalions in the revolutionary new state of Maracaju. With the defeat after a few months, Vespasiano was exiled and the family returned to routine.^[3]

Two years later, the young man moved to the city of São Paulo, where he completed fundamental studies before starting a law degree. It was there that he had contact with José Fragelli, who would become governor of Mato Grosso, and fellow countryman Jânio Quadros, who was elected the most president of Brazil.^[1][3]

Political unrest continued after 1932. Wilson timidly involved himself in student movements, which led to his being imprisoned for a day. At the time, the group that the student identified with was considered leftist. From 1935, he became a censor of the federal government, still led by Getúlio Vargas.^[1]

He then worked in a store as a salesman until he graduated in 1939. He practiced law for a few years in an office, until he decided to return to his hometown. He opened his own office in the city until he started getting involved in politics for good.^[3]

He was also a teacher and one of the owners of Colégio Oswaldo Cruz, where he met some of those who would collaborate in his administrations.^[4]

He married the writer and artist Nelly Martins, daughter of Vespasiano. They were together for almost 60 years until his wife's death in 2003. He had three children: Thaís, Celina and Nelson.^[5]

In the 1980s, he fell out with his brother Plínio, from whom he stayed away for a long time. The two disagreed on supporting a gubernatorial candidate, Gandi Jamil. Plínio didn't want to support him, because he didn't have good relations with the Jamil family. He was also opposed to his daughter Celina's candidacy as Gandi's deputy, but accepted after she did not change her mind.^[6]

In 2013, he was hospitalized after suffering a stroke. In August 2014, he was hospitalized after a sudden illness. The following day, rumors circulated that Wilson had died, which were denied by the hospital.^[7]

During hospitalization, he underwent a tracheostomy, until he was discharged after 21 days.

In recent years, the former governor had difficulty walking due to the stroke he suffered in 2013 and did not speak because of the tracheostomy in 2014. However, he remained lucid, living with his daughter Thaís. In February 2018, he died at home, aged 100.^[8]

He joined the National Democratic Union (UDN) when it was formed in 1945. He did not run for office, but worked to elect his friend Fragelli as state deputy. Uncle Vespasiano was elected senator by the same party in that same election.^[3]

He was in the founding group and wrote a column for the newspaper Correio do Estado. During the administration of the then mayor of Campo Grande, Fernando Corrêa da Costa, he was the general secretary of the city hall. He ran for mayoralty in 1950, but lost to Ary Coelho.^[9]

He defended improvements to Campo Grande's electricity supply. The management company of the service had its board dismissed and Wilson's group took over management. The undertaking made him known, which qualified him to run for mayoralty again, being elected in 1958. Before, he was an alternate for the then senator for Mato Grosso João Vilasboas.^[9]

He takes office in January 1959, in an election marked by the coalition that brought together the UDN and the PCB. Despite being a medium-sized city, Campo Grande had a disorganized administration, which led Wilson to promote a reform with the approval of the City Council. Despite strong opposition, the reform was approved.^[9]

Promoted the first public tender in the history of municipal public administration and infrastructure works, such as building schools and asphalt paving. In 1962, he was elected federal deputy for Mato Grosso, even with the rejection of part of the UDN, which branded him a communist. At that time, a candidacy for the state government was already being considered, even before the creation of Mato Grosso do Sul.^[9]

In his first term in the Chamber of Deputies, he was a member of four Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry (CPIs) and traveled on an official mission to Japan. With the 1964 coup and the consequent installation of the military dictatorship, he joined the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) with the installation of bipartisanship.^[9]

In 1966, he refused a candidacy for the government of Mato Grosso to succeed Corrêa da Costa. On that occasion, the man who would become his main political opponent, Pedro Pedrossian, was elected. Wilson preferred to seek re-election as a congressman, and won.

In his second term, he was deputy leader of the MDB, a member of the Constitution and Justice Commission and other CPIs, in addition to making an official trip to Peru. The mood in the Chamber and in 1968, the military government granted Institutional Act Number Five (AI-5), which led to the closure of the National Congress and the withdrawal of parliamentary mandates.

His mandate was revoked in 1969 and his political rights suspended for ten years, which led him back to law.

He returned to his hometown after the impeachment of his mandate and political rights, opening a law firm again. He remained affiliated with the MDB, not getting involved in politics. He witnessed the creation of the new state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but did not take part in the process as he was still suspended from public life. At that time, the political divergence with Pedrossian was already beginning.^[4]

He also followed the political career of his brother Plínio Barbosa Martins, and with the restoration of his political rights, he was elected the first president of the state section of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB).

With the approach of the first direct elections for the state government, at first he articulated his brother's candidacy. Plinio discarded the idea, and the new Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) ended up supporting Wilson to run to succeed Pedrossian, being elected in 1982.

He takes office in March 1983, with then state deputy Ramez Tebet as deputy. Early on, he faces the challenge of overcoming the imbalance of public accounts, with functional payrolls and late contracts; being forced to take out loans and renegotiate debts with the Union.

With federal funds, it promoted infrastructure works and kept employees' salaries up to date. This first administration was marked by great works and easy credit with the Union, in addition to a secretariat composed of people linked to former governor Marcelo Miranda and others from Wilson's group.

In 1986, he resigned from office to run for a vacancy in the Federal Senate, which led Lieutenant Governor Tebet to the Governorship. He made Miranda his successor and was elected senator.