Ernesto de la Guardia : Early life and education, Political career, Personal life, Later life and death Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ernesto de la Guardia

President of Panama (1904–1983)

Ernesto de la Guardia

President of Panama
In office 1 October 1956 – 1 October 1960
Vice President	Temistocles Díaz Heraclio Barletta
Preceded by	Ricardo Arias
Succeeded by	Roberto Chiari

Personal details
Born	Ernesto de la Guardia Navarro (1904-05-30)30 May 1904 Panama City, Panama
Died	2 May 1983(1983-05-02) (aged 78) Panama City, Panama
Political party	National Patriotic Coalition
Profession	Politician

Ernesto de la Guardia Navarro (May 30, 1904 – May 2, 1983) was president of Panama from October 1, 1956 to October 1, 1960. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition (CNP).

Early life and education

Born in Panama City, he was educated at Dartmouth College in the United States, where he obtained a master's degree in finance.

Political career

He began his political career as a consul in the Costa Rican consulate in San Francisco.^[1] Prior to his administration, he held diplomatic positions, as well as serving as secretary of state and First Vice President from 1945 to 1948. He was considered a visionary of the Electoral Tribunal and other constitutional reforms, he earned a reputation as a leading advocate for Panamian democracy. During his administration, he was involved in disputes with the United States involving interpretations of the treaties regarding the Panama Canal Zone. On April 26, 1959, he faced an attempted coup planned by diplomat Roberto Arias, nephew of deposed ex-president Arnulfo Arias and husband of famous British ballerina Margot Fonteyn 1. The coup, allegedly sponsored by Fidel Castro, was suppressed with help from the United States and other American countries.

Personal life

Navarro was married to Mercedes Galindo; they had two sons and a daughter.

Later life and death

After vacating the presidency, he was a member of the Academia Panameña de la Lengua (directing it in 1973 2), and directed the weekly Mundo Gráfico. He died in Panama City in 1983 at the age of 78.

References

^ Leonard, Thomas M. (18 November 2014). Historical Dictionary of Panama. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 145. ISBN 9780810878358.

External links

Ernesto de la Guardia Short biography (in Spanish)
Ernesto de la Guardia Short biography

Political offices
Preceded by Jeptha Duncan	First Vice President of Panama 1945–1948	Succeeded by Daniel Chanis
Preceded by Ricardo Arias	President of Panama 1956–1960	Succeeded by Roberto Chiari