He was a member of the following scientific institutions: a full member of the Instituto de Coimbra, where he was Director of the Humanities Class, Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses [ Association of Portuguese Archaeologists ] , Instituto Histórico e Geográfico de São Paulo [ Historical and Geographical Institute of São Paulo] , Accademia di Belle Arti e Lettere in Rome [ Academy of Fine Arts and Letters in Rome] , Academia Portuguesa da História [ Portuguese Academy of History ], and Academia das Ciências de Lisboa [ Lisbon Academy of Sciences] , where he was a corresponding member of the Humanities Class. He was admitted to the Academia Portuguesa da História on 18 June 1938, became academician of n umber on 19 March 1945, occupying chair no. 1, which had belonged to António de Vasconcelos, was raised to academician of m erit on 21 November 1975 and was Chairman of the Academy between 1966 and 1972.

Politically active during the Estado Novo, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Minister of Public Education in 1934, elected to the National Assembly in 1937, and in July 1940 , he was appointed Director-General of Higher Education and Fine Arts , then Undersecretary of State for National Education in August of that year, a position he held until February 1945. He was Minister of National Education from 4 May 1961 to 4 December 1962.

In recognition of his achievements, the town of Benavente honoured its illustrious son by naming an avenue after him. To commemorate the 1 st centenary of his birth and the 20 th anniversary of his death, the Benavente Town Council and the Academia Portuguesa da História organised a tribute in Benavente on 15 December 2000, by placing a plaque, a gift from the Academy, on Lopes de Almeida ’ s grave in the town ’ s cemetery and unveiling a memorial stone at the house where he was born, in Rua Dr. Manuel Velho Cabral Calheiros, followed by a solemn session in the Municipal Library and the opening of a bibliographical exhibition, at which the Mayor, the President of the Academia Portuguesa da História and his nephew Justino Mendes de Almeida spoke , the latter on behalf of the family. The text on the memorial stone , proposed to the town council and the nephews by the Chairman of the Academy, Joaquim Veríssimo Serrão, reveals the reputation of the honoured man: “ Dr Manuel Lopes de Almeida, who was a Professor at the University of Coimbra, a notable historian and a devoted man of Benavente, was born in this house on 16 August 1900 ” . On 7 June 2000, the Academy commemorated the illustrious scholar, with Justino Mendes de Almeida delivering a speech entitled “ Manuel Lopes de Almeida: Evocação do Mestre, Saudades do Homem ” .

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