Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC, is a Brazilian sociologist, professor and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002. He was the first Brazilian president to be reelected for a subsequent term. An accomplished scholar of dependency theory noted for his research on slavery and political theory, Cardoso has earned many honors including the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (2000) and the Kluge Prize from the US Library of Congress (2012). Cardoso was the 10th president of the International Sociological Association (1982–1986). Personal and professional life Cardoso descends from wealthy Portuguese immigrants. Some were politicians during the Empire of Brazil. He also has African ancestry, through a black great-great-grandmother and a mulatto great-grandmother. Cardoso described himself as "slightly mulatto" and allegedly said he has "a foot in the kitchen" (a nod to historical Brazilian domestic slavery).