Vasco Elias Bensaúde
Vasco Elias Bensaúde, a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur of São Miguel, passed away on 5 August 1967 at his villa in Pico do Salomão, Ponta Delgada, aged 71.
Born on 26 April 1896 in the parish of Santa Isabel, Lisbon, he was educated in England. However, he remained deeply connected to the Bensaúde family established on the island of São Miguel, where he lived and worked for the majority of his life.
For several decades, he inherited and managed the firm formerly known as Bensaúde & C.ª Lda, which today exists as the Bensaúde Group. He was a pioneer and the primary driving force behind the tourism sector in São Miguel. To this end, and with the cooperation of Augusto Rebelo Arruda, he founded the Sociedade Terra Nostra in 1933. He was responsible for the construction of the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, the first tourist hotel in the Azores, and for the acquisition, restoration, and expansion of the adjacent botanical park, now known as Terra Nostra Park. This park complemented the hotel and evolved into one of the most emblematic botanical gardens in the archipelago, renowned for its camellia collection and thermal pool. Furthermore, he oversaw the construction of the Terra Nostra Golf Course in 1939 (the first in the Azores) and the acquisition of a historic manor house built by Thomas Hickling, which he transformed into the Hotel São Pedro, opened in 1965 on the Ponta Delgada seafront.
Alongside Augusto Rebelo Arruda, he was also a key founder of the Sociedade Açoriana de Estudos Aéreos, later known as SATA (Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aéreos). Additionally, he developed the tobacco factories (Fábricas de Tabaco Lda), the alcohol distillery in Lagoa, and the sugar refinery in Santa Clara. For a long period, he served as the Chairman of the Board and was a major shareholder of the Empresa Insulana de Navegação, as well as the President of the Abraão Bensaúde Maternity Hospital in Lisbon. He made vast investments to stimulate the Azorean economy, provided significant donations to charitable organisations, and maintained a large workforce, often employing individuals solely to provide them with a livelihood.
His contributions were recognised with several prestigious honours. During the presidency of António Óscar Carmona, he was appointed an Officer of the Military Order of Christ (1928) and a Grand Officer of the Civil Order of Industrial Merit (1930). In 1941, he was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, and during the presidency of Américo Tomás in 1960, he was appointed a Commander of the Civil Order of Agricultural Merit.
In his honour, a square in the city of Ponta Delgada and a street in the parish of Furnas (Povoação) were named after him. Following his passing, as a mark of mourning, flags flew at half-mast at the buildings of Bensaúde & C.ª Lda, the Companhia de Navegação Carregadores Açorianos, the Companhia de Seguros Açoriana, and various other institutions and charities. Operations ceased at the Santa Clara sugar refinery, the Micaelense tobacco factory, and the Lagoa distillery, with only SATA and essential insurance medical services remaining active.
The funeral took place at 2:00 pm on 7 August, proceeding from his residence at Pico do Salomão to the São Joaquim Cemetery. Later, his remains were transferred to the private Bensaúde family cemetery at Pico do Salomão.
Vasco Bensaúde played a decisive role in the development of Azorean tourism. By championing the Sociedade Terra Nostra and the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, he established a tradition of hospitality excellence that endures today. The Terra Nostra Park, which he acquired and expanded, remains one of the most iconic botanical gardens in the Azores, continuing to attract visitors and scholars from across the globe.
