Guillermo Ford

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Guillermo Ford
Ford in 1989
Panamanian Ambassador to the United States
In office
29 November 1999 – 5 February 2002
PresidentMireya Moscoso
Preceded byEloy Alfaro de Alba
Succeeded byRoberto Alfaro Estripeaut
First Vice President of Panama
In office
17 December 1992 – 1 September 1994
PresidentGuillermo Endara
Preceded byRicardo Arias Calderón
Succeeded byTomás Gabriel Altamirano
Second Vice President of Panama
In office
20 December 1989 – 17 December 1992
PresidentGuillermo Endara
Preceded byRoderick Esquivel (1988)
Succeeded byFelipe Virzi (1994)
Personal details
Born11 November 1936
Panama City, Panama
Died19 March 2011 (aged 74)
Panama City, Panama
PartyMOLIRENA
Children3

Guillermo "Billy" Ford Boyd (11 November 1936 – 19 March 2011) was a Panamanian politician, diplomat, and businessman who was Vice President of Panama from 1989 to 1994, serving as second vice president from 1989 to 1992 and first vice president from 1992 to 1994. He later served as the Panamanian ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2002.

Ford was one of the running mates of Guillermo Endara in the 1989 Panamanian election. During the campaign, Ford survived an assassination attempt overtly ordered by dictator Manuel Noriega. Following Endara and Ford's suppressed victory, the United States invaded Panama, deposed Noriega, and installed the democratically elected leaders.

Early life and education

Ford was born in Panama City, Panama, on 11 November 1936.[1] He graduated from Balboa High School in the Canal Zone.

Career

Opposition leader (1982–1989)

A founding member of the Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Ford was a leading opponent of military dictator Manuel Noriega.[2]

1989 campaign

In 1989, Ford joined the ticket of Guillermo Endara and Ricardo Arias Calderón to challenge pro-Noriega candidate Carlos Duque.[3] After the initial vote count showed Endara and Ford's coalition leading Noriega's backed candidate by a 3 to 1 margin, the election results were invalidated by the Noriega regime before counting could be completed.[4]

Attempted assassination

After a rally in support of Endara and Ford, members of the Dignity Battalions, armed with guns, pipes, and wooden planks, brutally attacked Ford and his entourage.[5][6] A photo of the assault on Ford by a member of the Dignity Battalions appeared on the cover of Time magazine, Newsweek, and U.S. News. The iconic photo by Ron Haviv (of AFP), of Ford in his white guayabera shirt splattered bright red with blood became one of the most famous images of 1989.[5][6] The attack was widely described as an "assassination attempt" carried out on the orders of General Noriega.[7][8][9] United States president George H. W. Bush referred to the Dignity Battalions as "doberman thugs" in a press conference on 13 May 1989.[10][11]

Vice presidency (1989–1994)

Ford was sworn is as Second Vice President of Panama at Fort Clayton on 20 December 1989.[5] The U.S.-orchestrated swearing-in of Endara, Calderón, and Ford, performed by a Panamanian judge, immediately established the triumvirate as Panama's provisional government, with the group remaining at the base for approximately 36 hours amid ongoing combat operations.[12][13] This intervention-backed appointment transitioned power from Noriega's military dictatorship to civilian rule, with the Endara administration gaining swift U.S. recognition and economic aid for reconstruction.[12]

During the Endara administration, Ford concurrently served as Minister of Planning and Economic Policy.[14] In his dual role as minister, Ford authored the economic reform package aimed at stabilizing Panama's economy, known as the "Ford Plan."[14] Following the resignation of First Vice President Ricardo Arias Calderón in 1992, Ford assumed the role of First Vice President until the end of the term in 1994.

Ambassador to the United States (1999–2002)

In October 1999, Ford was appointed as Panamanian Ambassador to the United States by President Mireya Moscoso.[15][16] Sworn into office on 29 November 1999, his tenure coincided with the handover of the Panama Canal on 31 December 1999.[15] He served as ambassador during the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush before retiring on 5 February 2002.[16]

Personal life

Ford died on 19 March 2011, in his residency in Panama City, and he received a state funeral.[17][18] The Panamanian National Assembly also honored him with a special resolution.[19]

References

  1. "Guillermo Ford". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  2. Albores, Jesus (21 March 2011). "Guillermo Ford, el político panameño que hundió a Noriega". El País. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  3. Conniff, Michael (19 April 2019). "The Endara Administration: Civilians Learned to Prevail". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  4. Branigin, William (May 10, 1989). "PANAMA INVALIDATES ELECTION". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  5. "'Bloodied but unbowed' former Vice-President dies in Panama," Newsroom Panama, March 19, 2011. Found at Newsroom Panama website Archived 2011-03-23 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 21, 2011.
  6. "Attack on Guillermo Ford" on Iconic Photos website. Accessed March 21, 2011.
  7. "U.S. ENVOY TIES NORIEGA TO ASSASSINATION TRY". Chicago Tribune. May 16, 1989. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  8. Branigin, William (May 16, 1989). "U.S. ENVOY SAYS NORIEGA DIRECTED MURDER ATTEMPT". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  9. Freed, Kenneth (May 16, 1989). "U.S. Envoy Accuses Noriega of Order for Murder of Opposition Candidate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  10. Cawley, Janet. "Put Noriega Out, Bush Says". 14 May 1989. the Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  11. Freund, Charles Paul (May 16, 1989). "Bush's Remarkable Randomness". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013 – via HighBeam Research.
  12. "Fighting in Panama: A New Government; The 3 Panamanians Who'll Lead Where Noriega Held Sway". The New York Times. December 21, 1989. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  13. Smolowe, Jill (January 1, 1990). "Panama's Would-Be President: Guillermo Endara". Time (magazine). Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  14. "Vicepresidentes: Sin rastros en la historia". Panamá América. 17 April 1999. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  15. "Diplomatic Representation for Panama". United States Department of State. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  16. "Panamanian Ambassadors". embassyofpanama.org. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  17. "Funeral de Guillermo Ford será similar al de Endara," TVN Panamá, March 21, 2011. Found at TVN-2 news website Archived 2012-03-07 at the Wayback Machine. (In Spanish) Accessed March 21, 2011.
  18. "Gabinete decide hoy asueto por funeral de Ford," Critica, March 21, 2011. Found at Critica news website Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. (In Spanish) Accessed March 21, 2011.
  19. Deivis Eliecer Cerrud, "Asamblea inicia consultas para estudio de legislación minera," La Estrella, March 21, 2011. Found at La Estrella newspaper website Archived 2011-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. (In Spanish) Accessed March 21, 2011.