Background
Ernesto de la Guardia was born in Panama on 30 May 1904.
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ERNESTO DE LA GUARDIA
Edit ProfileEducation
He was educated in the United States, receiving a business administration degree from Dartmouth.
Career
In spite of de la Guardia’s commendable record, he was generally unpopular because of the turbulence of the times. In April 1959 an invasion from Cuba was thwarted when the invading force surrendered. More seriously, on November 3, Panama’s Independence Day, Panamanian students “peacefully invaded” the Canal Zone to place Panamanian flags, leading to rioting in Panama City, with numerous injuries and major property damage. Although President Dwight Eisenhower ordered display of the Panamanian flag in the Zone, President de la Guardia was offended when he was not invited to raise the first flag.
Achievements
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Despite his conservative leaning and the disintegration of the late President José Antonio Remón’s National Patriotic Coalition, de la Guardia continued economic and social programs begun by the martyred president. He extended government planning, undertook low-cost housing, established a minimum wage, and sponsored significant improvements in education. He created the Electoral Tribunal to assure free and fair elections.
De la Guardia was the first Panamanian president to deliver the sash of office to a winner from the opposition.
