A Part of Our History of
Rotary in South America
PORT
Prepared by the district and not verified
by Rotary Global History
The Administration System of Rotary International which divides the world into Districts which encompass a number
of Rotary Clubs, dates back to the Convention of 1915 in San Francisco - CA.
At the time of the founding of the first clubs in South America, of course, they would be in the "not
districted." Only in 1927 two districts were created for the Rotary Clubs of South America. They
were: Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, all grouped into District 63, during the Rotary years 1927/28 and 1928/29.
In the year 1929/30 the Brazilian Rotary Clubs were allocated their own District 72 covering the whole of our country.
This position remained, unchanged, under the responsibility of one governor each year until 1938, when the district was
divided into 4 sections under the general administration of a governor and collaboration of three assistants.
From the year 1939/40 these four sections of District 72 district began to form themselves into Districts
numbered 26, 27, 28 and 29.
In 1943 District 28 was divided, adding to Brazil a new District 41. Major developments continued
at a rapid pace as we increased the number of Rotary Clubs.
In 1944, there were already six Districts and in 1947 there were seven: 26, 27, 28, 29, 41, 43 and 72,
which remained through to during 1948/49.
In the 1949 year, Rotary International made complete changes to the numbers although there remained still, seven
districts under the numbers: 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 123 and 124.
In 1952, more new clubs to force the addition of another district – eight; in 1954, nine; in 1956.
In December 1957, Brazil was given the prefix number “4” whereby our present number was born -
District 453.
By 1958, Brazil had enough clubs to support twelve districts.
Within eleven years, in 1969, the expansion continued and the number of districts had increased to fourteen.
District assigns 453 grew so large with so many clubs that it was necessary to assign territory
for the creation of District 454 which had at the time, only the clubs in Sao Paulo.
The Rotary Clubs of Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso, Monte Santo, Minas Steps and continued to belong to
District 453.
The District 454 was formed with 48 clubs transferred from district 453.
The above four clubs were only re-allocated to our district after two years in 1971-72.
The College of Governors recorded in the first monthly magazine that District 454 had contributed 11 Former
Governors and now comprised 1,446 members, and the new District Governor would be Acyr Antonio Marino from the Rotary
Club of San Carlos.
The first of the new District 454 Assemblies was held in Sertãozinho on June 22 1969, and was
chaired by Governor Philemon Xavier de Oliveira of the Rotary Club of Morrinhos (GO) and the first District Conference
was held in Sao Jose do Rio Preto.
In 1970 there were fifteen districts; in 1971 eighteen; in 1973 nineteen; in 1974 twenty; in 1977 twenty-two;
in 1981 twenty-four; in 1985 twenty-six; in 1986 twenty-seven; in 1988 twenty-eight; in 1989 twenty-nine; and in 1990
there were thirty-one districts.
Brazil was rapidly becoming one of the largest networks of Rotary clubs in the world.
In 1990-91, during the Governorship of Vinicius Antonio Maciel from the Rotary Club of
Igarapava, Rotary International authorized the admission of women within the framework of worldwide clubs.
Ms. Cinira Novais of RC Cássia of Coqueiros, had the honour of being the first lady Rotarian of
the then District 454.
In the year 1991/1992 Rotary altered the numbering system to four numbers which gave rise to District 4540,
during the Governorship of Welcome Augusto Dias, who is at the time of this report, a member of RC Rio de Janeiro in
the District of Tijuca 4570.
In 1991, at the time of the change in numbering, already there were with thirty-four districts and in 1992,
thirty-six. Currently we distributed with 38 districts throughout the country.
On 28 April 2002, District 4540 acquired a legal personality according to the laws in the country. It was created the
“Association of Rotary District 4540”, whose meeting was held at the Centre for Municipal Integrated Education by Dr.
John Gilberto Sampaio. The Association of Rotary District 4540 began on July 1, 2002, with the first president being
Valter Merlos.
According to the Statute, the chairman of the Association of Rotary District 4540 is always the Governor of the year,
and the vice-chairman is always the Governor-Elect.
