Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (born October 27, 1945) was the 39th President of Brazil. He was the president of Brazil from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2010. He succeeded Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and was succeeded by Dilma Rousseff. His wife was Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva until her death in 2017.