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where he served as a professor of law at the
University of Paris. In the meantime Soares
and several colleagues had secretly orga-
nized the Portuguese Socialist Party (1964)
to plan for the day when dictatorship
would end. After the bloodless revolution
of 1974 Soares was appointed by the
interim military government as foreign
minister, with the special duty of planning
the independence of Portugal's African
provinces. In 1976 he took office as the
first prime minister under the new consti-
tution, marking another stage in the demo-
cratic evolution of Portugal, after decades
of authoritarian rule. When he was chosen
president of the republic in 1986, Soares
was the first civilian in more than 60 years
to hold that office.
Having already gained admission to the
European Economic Community for his
country, Soares devoted his two successive
presidential terms (1986-91 and 1991-96)
to developing Portugal's integration into
what became the European Union (EU).
Closely associated with this enterprise was
his promotion of the country's economic
development and the reorganization of its
finances that would make it an effective
member of the international community.
After completing his second term Soares
devoted himself to a new role as elder
statesman. Elected as a Portuguese delegate
to the European Parliament in 1999, he
served on many of the EU's committees and
commissions, becoming an articulate
spokesman for the ideals and aspirations of
this pan-European body. He also served in
leading roles within the European socialist
movement, particularly as the breakup of
the Soviet satellite empire confronted
emerging democracies with the kind of
political and economic problems that Por-
tugal had already confronted. Few would
deny Soares recognition as the most impor-
tant political figure to emerge in Portugal
since the fall of the dictatorship.
Sorolla y Bastida, Joaquín
(1863-1923)
Spanish painter
Overcoming adversity (he was an orphan
born in poverty), Sorolla rose by sheer tal-
ent to pursue art studies in V
ALENCIA
, Paris,
and Rome and to win commissions in por-
trait painting, including portraits of the
Spanish royal family. He was praised by
critics, however, for his landscape work in
modified impressionistic style. His reputa-
tion preceded him to the United States,
where he had a one-man show at New York
City's Hispanic Society in 1909. He was also
commissioned to paint a portrait of the
newly inaugurated president, William How-
ard Taft. On his return to Spain he settled
on the Mediterranean coast near Valencia
where his studies of the brilliant interplay
of light and shadow along the beaches
revealed a new dimension of his artistic
skills. He was particularly praised for such
scenes as
Beaching The Boat,
After The Bath
and
Swimmers
(1911-1915).
Soto, Hernando de
(1500-1542)
Spanish explorer and administrator
Arriving in the New World while still a teen-
ager, Soto took part in a number of expedi-
tions in and around the Isthmus of Panama,
notably the conquest of N
ICARAGUA
. His
abilities were recognized by F
RANCISCO
P
IZARRO
, who made him second in com-
mand during his 1532 expedition to P
ERU
.
He soon antagonized his chief by advocat-
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