Diogo de Barcelos Machado Bettencourt  Diogo de Barcelos Machado Bettencourt (Angra do Heroísmo; 8 August 1847 — Angra do Heroísmo, 16 October 1922) was a politician and judicial magistrate, as well as judge for several districts in the Azores, as well as Civil Governor of Horta. He was the son of Francisco de Paula de Barcelos Machado de Bettencourt (born 1825), knight and nobleman in the Royal Household and commander in the Order of Christ, and D. Maria Isabel Barcelos do Canto e Teive de Gusmão (born 19 April 1907). He obtained a bachelor's degree in law at the University of Coimbra. He was a representative on the Public Ministry for administrative tribunals of the city of Angra do Heroísmo and Braga, and also along with other judges, a fiscal judge for the city of Funchal, on the island of Madeira. He was appointed as regional prosecutor for Praia da Vitória, on the island of Terceira. But, between 1899 and 1900, he was appointed Civil Governor of the District of Horta, by decree dated 20 July 1899. Diogo de Barcelos Machado Bettencourt's swearing in (to the Minister of the Interior) was handled on 10 August of that year, but he only arrived in Faial two months later, on 12 October. This delay was caused by an outbreak of Bubonic plague in the city of Porto, during the summer of 1899, resulting in measures that made it difficult to communicate with the Azores. In the case of Horta, the previous governor (José Ferreira Nestor Madruga), had established measures prohibiting contacts with ships coming directly from the Continent. Further, there were also measures by the local District Board of Health, that prevented people from the district from making contact with the contagion. Although these measures caused a degree of discomfort, many of the traders working in the district suffered incalculable losses. Due to these conditions, the new governor only arrived in the district on board a ship from Funchal on 12 October 1899. His substitute (Miguel António da Silveira), therefore, continued to operate in his capacity since the beginning of the year, until he was forced to cease these activities by the national directory of the "Progressistas" (Progressive Party). But, even so, it was only on 13 October 1899 that Machado Bettencourt would take-up his functions as Civil Governor.