# José Pereira da Cunha

This downloadable dossier preserves our biography and citations, not a copy of every cited publication. External articles and videos remain with their publishers unless reuse is authorised. Saved files include their provenance and rights information.

https://entroncamento.org/president-jose-pereira-da-cunha.html

## Life and public service

José Pereira da Cunha was born on 14 December 1931 and worked on the railways, continuing a family occupation. After the 1974 revolution he helped organize Entroncamento’s first Municipal Assembly, then served as a councillor. Elected for the Socialist Party, he was mayor from January 1986 to December 2001 across four terms. Entroncamento became a city in 1991 during his presidency.

He also signed the municipality’s twinning agreement with Mosteiros, Cape Verde, in 1997; Mosteiros honored him in 2019 for helping establish cooperation between the municipalities. After an unsuccessful independent candidacy in 2001, he withdrew from active politics. He died in May 2024, aged 92, and Entroncamento marked his service with two days of municipal mourning.

## Education and professional career

The municipal mourning order confirms four terms from January 1986 to December 2001 and a railway profession. It also recalls his involvement in organising the first Municipal Assembly after the April Revolution and his earlier service as councillor. The 1991 elevation of Entroncamento to city status occurred during his presidency; the official tribute identifies this as a major milestone without making it the work of one individual alone.

## Legacy and public memory

Mosteiros identifies him as a signatory of the twinning agreement of 22 May 1997, alongside Júlio Lopes Correia, and records his recognition at the 2019 conference of twinned municipalities. Sources disagree by one day on his death: the Mosteiros tribute says 15 May 2024, while Médio Tejo reports 16 May. Both give his age as 92; the precise day is therefore flagged rather than silently harmonised.

## Legacy and public memory

In his 2021 interview he linked his municipal legacy to sports, cultural facilities and social housing. This is his own retrospective assessment. The museum dissertation by António João Pires offers a separate account of the railway museum project and acknowledges Cunha’s support; it helps distinguish the project’s long preparation from its later public opening.

## Chronology

1931-12-14Birth date reported in his 2013 interview; he describes a family connected to the railway across generations.[1]

1986-01 – 2001-12Four municipal terms, following earlier service as a councillor.[2][4]

1997-05-22Entroncamento and Mosteiros sign their twinning agreement.[4]

2019-08Honoured by Mosteiros for his contribution to municipal cooperation.[4]

2024-05Death and municipal mourning; published accounts differ on the exact day.[2][4][3]

## Research notes

This is a sourced research dossier. Contemporary records, later historical accounts and personal recollections are distinguished where they differ. An announced project is not treated as a completed achievement. Linked catalogues may describe documents that are not available as digital scans.

Birth, education and family details have not all been independently established. Unverified personal details are omitted.

## Original source

1. José Pereira da Cunha: entrevista — O MIRANTE, 2013 — https://omirante.pt/semanario/2013-09-26/sociedade/2013-09-25-de-presidente-da-camara-municipal-do-entroncamento-a-zelador-de-animais-vadios
2. Câmara Municipal: homenagem e luto — ata de 21 de maio de 2024 — https://www.cm-entroncamento.pt/images/CME/Atas/Camara/2024/2_Trimestre/Ata%202024-05-21%20ATA%20N%2012.pdf
3. José Pereira da Cunha: obituário — Médio Tejo, maio de 2024 — https://mediotejo.net/morreu-jose-pereira-da-cunha-ex-presidente-da-camara-do-entroncamento/
4. Câmara Municipal de Mosteiros: homenagem — 16 de maio de 2024 — https://www.cmmost.cv/noticia/luto-morreu-ex-presidente-da-cm-do-entroncamento-promotor-da-geminacao-com-mosteiros
5. ANMP — Presidentes dos municípios, 1976–2016 — https://anmp.pt/file-viewer/?pstid=40602
6. José Pereira da Cunha — entrevista e fotografia, O MIRANTE, 3 de julho de 2021 — https://omirante.pt/entrevista/2021-07-03-Jose-Cunha-diz-que-fechado-no-lar-esta-a-perder-faculdades-b1b0d52c
7. António João Pires — dissertação sobre o Museu Nacional Ferroviário, Universidade Lusófona — https://museologia.ulusofona.pt/images/dissertacoes/antonio_joao_pires.pdf