Manuel Amador Guerrero

Manuel Amador Guerrero (30 June 1833 – 2 May 1909), was the first president of Panama from 20 February 1904 to 1 October 1908. He was a member of the Conservative Party.

Early life Manuel Amador Guerrero was born on 30 June 1833 in Turbaco, in the Bolívar Department of the Republic of Colombia to María Mercedes Guerrero Córdoba and José María Amador Leguina. Very little is known about his childhood and teenage years, but he studied to be a surgeon and graduated from the Universidad de Magdalena e Istmo in 1854.

Career Amador came to Panama in 1855 settling in Colón and started working on the Panama Railroad as a doctor. After a year, he also took a job as the postmaster. After moving to Santiago de Veraguas, Amador began a export business "Amador Hermanos", with his brother, Juan De Dios Amador Guerrero, and continued his work as a doctor and in governmental posts. He acted to the District Administration, working on the Municipal Council, and serving as a deputy to the House of Representatives for the Veraguas State in the Republic of New Granada in Bogotá from 1858 to 1859. During the same period, he began serving in the State Legislature of Veraguas.

In 1869, Amador returned to Panama, probably settling again in Santiago de Veraguas, where his son was born to María de Jesús Terreros. He soon moved to Panama City and began working at the Hospital Santo Tomás. With de la Ossa, Amador had two children, Raúl Arturo, who as an adult was attached to the Panamanian consulate in New York City and Elmira María, who married William Ehrman, one of the owners of the Ehrman Banking Company.

Return to politics "Amador Hermanos" brought in brother, José Amador, and began working with the French company building the Panama Canal in 1879. Simultaneously, Manuel continued his work as a doctor for the Panama Canal Railway and Hospital Santo Tomás. and serving until 5 August 1886. During this time frame, Amador served as chairman of the Council of the District of Panama, which had to vote on approval of the Colombian Constitution of 1886. At the end of 1888, the French company which was digging the canal went bankrupt, causing the failure of the Amador brothers' business. Contentious negotiations with Colombia led the United States toward backing the independence movement in Panama, believing that negotiations would be more favorable to American interests from a small, weak, newly developing state, rather than continuing to work with Colombia. Amador traveled to New York in September 1903 to determine how the United States might support the separation movement. After gaining approval for support from the USS Nashville, Amador returned to Panama to get a plan in motion. and the national anthem, that features lyrics written by his wife's brother Jerónimo de la Ossa; created the national theater and national museum; disbanded the army, in favor of a police force; and expanded the educational system in the country.

One of the immediate actions of his administration was to resolve a difference in interpretation over the law which created the canal zone, passed on 28 April 1904. Panamanian legislators intended the granting of the zone to the United States to mean that the U.S. could exercise sovereignty "only for the purpose of building the canal". As the ports were vital for Panama's economy, the government of Panama had no intention of surrendering complete legal or economic sovereignty in the canal zone and did not cede its territory to the U.S. The Americans had established ports, customs houses and postal facilities in the zone, which were objected to by the Panamanians, as they had nothing to do with construction and were functions of a sovereign power. U.S. Minister to Panama Charles Edward Magoon, who was concurrently the Governor of the Canal Zone, worked with Amador to draft a working agreement to resolve the issue. Secretary of War William Howard Taft agreed with the main draft and went to Panama to meet with Amador, arriving on 27 November 1904. The three men devised an agreement to exempt only duty-free goods entering the canal zone ports of Ancon and Cristobal that were related to construction of the canal. Other goods were to be taxed by Panamanian authorities at a reduced rate of ten percent ad valorem. In exchange for infrastructure development with hospitals and roads, Amador was pleased to agree to allow the Canal Company to control sanitation and quarantine provisions in the zone and utilize municipal buildings. They also designated an agreement for currency sharing and postal regulations, among other revisions. The Taft Memorandum would affect U.S.-Panamanian relations for nearly 100 years.

Amador sought to disenfranchise Belisario Porras, the main leader of the Liberal Party. The Panama Supreme Court revoked Porras' citizenship. However, the Panama legislature restored his citizenship.

Death and legacy Amador decided not to run for reelection in 1908 and instead retired from public life. He died on May 2, 1909, in Panama City. His last coherent words were to express his wish that the National Anthem be played as his body was lowered into his grave, a wish that was realized.

Trivia Plaza Amador, a popular football team in Panama's highest league, LPF, was named in his honour. Founded back in 1955 the club's colours are also red, blue and white as they were the colours adopted by his patriotic movement for independence. The Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero, the highest honour of Panama, is named in his honour. Fort Amador, an American military base at the Pacific (southern) end of the Panama Canal, is named in his honor.