He was also a brother-in-law of Marcelo Caetano, the Prime Minister of Portugal during the final years of the Dictatorship.
[1] Henrique was a Licentiate in agricultural economics from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia of the University of Lisbon, and from there he developed an intense activity as a pedagogue and an Investigator.
In opposition to the dictatorial regime of Estado Novo from a young age, he joined the Movimento de Unidade Democrática (MUD) in 1945.
He joined the Socialist Party in 1974, and a year later he was elected a Deputy to the Constituent Assembly, of which he became the 1st and only President from 3 June 1975 to 2 April 1976.
He married Luísa de Morais Sarmento, from an ancient noble family of Trás os Montes e Alto Douro, without issue.