João Urbano Pessoa de Vasconcelos Suassuna, better known as João Suassuna (9 January 1886 – 9 October 1930) was a Brazilian politician from the Sertão region.

Whereas Suassuna was the defender of agricultural Sertão culture, João Pessoa was a supporter of modernisation.

[2] His son Ariano wrote about the opposition between the two men:[3] Pessoa represented the middle class of the towns and of the capital, and was in the avant-garde.

It can be said that they were the last two feudal lords of the sertão...[4]When Pessoa became president of his state, and Suassuna a deputy, the military were worried about this situation and declared part of Paraíba independent, which provoked the then President of Brazil, Washington Luís to intervene on behalf of the national government.

[5] On 9 October 1930 Suassuna was murdered in revenge in Rio de Janeiro where he had gone for a meeting with Washington Luís to try to find a solution to the social unrest in the sertão.