Second Presidency (Getúlio Vargas)

Vargas returned to politics in 1951 and through a free and secret ballot was re-elected President of the Republic. Hampered by an economic crisis, Vargas pursued a nationalist policy; turning to the country's natural resources and away from foreign dependency. As part of this policy, he founded Petrobrás (Brazilian oil).
His political adversaries initiated a crisis which culminated in the "Rua Tonelero", where Major Rubens Vaz was killed during an attempt on the life of Vargas' main adversary, Carlos Lacerda. Lieutenant Gregório Fortunato, chief of Vargas' personal guard, was accused of masterminding the assassination attempt. This aroused a reaction in the military against Vargas and the generals demanded his resignation. In a last ditch effort Vargas called a special cabinet meeting on the eve of August 24, but rumors spread that the armed forces officers were implacable.
Feeling the situation beyond his control, Vargas shot himself in the chest on August 24, 1954 in the Catete Palace. He wrote a letter to the Brazilian people known as his "carta testamento." The last lines read, "Serenely, I take my first step on the road to eternity and I leave life to enter history." On exhibit in the Palace is his nightshirt with a bullet hole in the breast.
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas is interred in his native São Borja, in Rio Grande do Sul.