Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (August 20, 1882 —February 23, 1971), served as president of Panama from January 16, 1931 to June 5, 1932. He belonged to the Liberal Party
.
Dr. Alfaro was born in Panama
and began a career in the diplomatic service in 1905 as under-secretary for foreign affairs. He was first assigned to the U.S. in 1912 as legal counselor of the Panamanian legation for the Panama
-Costa Rica
border dispute. Dr. Alfaro was also involved in settling numerous disputes arising from the construction of the Panama Canal
. From 1915 to 1918, he was judge of a joint commission between Panama
and the United States
for settling claims relating to expropriations for the construction of the Canal
. Later, in 1934 to 1936 and again, in 1953, Dr. Alfaro was involved in critical negotiations relating to Panama
-U.S
. relations concerning the Canal
.
From 1922 to 1930, and from 1933 to 1936, Dr. Alfaro was Panamanian envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the U.S.
. In 1946, he was appointed Panama
's minister of foreign relations; however, he resigned in 1947 to protest a proposed agreement with the U.S.
relating to the Panama Canal
.
In 1928, Dr. Alfaro was elected First Vice President of Panama. In 1931, after a revolution in Panama
, Dr. Alfaro was invited to become his country's president, a position he accepted and held from January 16, 1931 through June 5, 1932. In 1940, he was defeated in the presidential election; however continued to serve his country by helping to draft a new constitution for Panama
in 1944.
A significant portion of Dr. Alfaro's service to his country related to his work in the United Nations
. In 1945, he headed the U.N. Relief and Recovery Administration mission to ten Latin America
n republics. He was also Panama
's delegate to the U.N. conference on international organization in San Francisco
and chairman of the special committee that drafted the Spanish
text of the United Nations Charter of 1945. In 1949, Dr. Alfaro was chairman of the legal committee of the third session of the U.N. General Assembly that drew up the text of the Convention on Genocide. From 1949 to 1953 served as member of the International Law Commission
.
In addition to his governmental and diplomatic experience, Dr. Alfaro's professional acumen derives from a background in law. He was formerly a professor of civil and international law in Panama
universities. He was also a member of the subcommittee that drafted treaties and arbitrated for the Inter-American Conference on Conciliation and Arbitration held in the U.S.
in 1929. From 1959 to 1964, Dr. Alfaro was a judge in the International Court of Justice
, serving his last three years as vice-president. In 1964, Dr. Alfaro retired from his official duties.
Dr. Alfaro was the author of many articles and books on Panama
, and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations for a career dedicated to improving conditions both in his country and globally.
Dr. Alfaro died in his eighty-ninth year in Panama City
on February 23, 1971. He was survived by his wife, Amelia Lyons de Alfaro; three sons, Dr. Victor Ricardo of Washington, Ivan Jose of Lima, Peru, and Rogelio Edwin of Panama City; two daughters, Mrs. Frank H. Weller (née Amelia or Amelita Victoria) of Potomac, Maryland
, and Mrs. H. Cabell Maddux (née Yolanda Maria) of McLean, Virginia
; and many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, among them the singer Nancy Ames, and attorney and TV personality Elbert Alfaro in Miami Lakes, Florida.
National Liberal Party (Panama)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal party in Panama. At the last legislative elections, 2 May 2004, the party won 5.2 % of the popular vote and 3 out of 78 seats...
.
Dr. Alfaro was born in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and began a career in the diplomatic service in 1905 as under-secretary for foreign affairs. He was first assigned to the U.S. in 1912 as legal counselor of the Panamanian legation for the Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
-Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
border dispute. Dr. Alfaro was also involved in settling numerous disputes arising from the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. From 1915 to 1918, he was judge of a joint commission between Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for settling claims relating to expropriations for the construction of the Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. Later, in 1934 to 1936 and again, in 1953, Dr. Alfaro was involved in critical negotiations relating to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
-U.S
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. relations concerning the Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
From 1922 to 1930, and from 1933 to 1936, Dr. Alfaro was Panamanian envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1946, he was appointed Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
's minister of foreign relations; however, he resigned in 1947 to protest a proposed agreement with the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
relating to the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
In 1928, Dr. Alfaro was elected First Vice President of Panama. In 1931, after a revolution in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Dr. Alfaro was invited to become his country's president, a position he accepted and held from January 16, 1931 through June 5, 1932. In 1940, he was defeated in the presidential election; however continued to serve his country by helping to draft a new constitution for Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in 1944.
A significant portion of Dr. Alfaro's service to his country related to his work in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. In 1945, he headed the U.N. Relief and Recovery Administration mission to ten Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n republics. He was also Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
's delegate to the U.N. conference on international organization in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and chairman of the special committee that drafted the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
text of the United Nations Charter of 1945. In 1949, Dr. Alfaro was chairman of the legal committee of the third session of the U.N. General Assembly that drew up the text of the Convention on Genocide. From 1949 to 1953 served as member of the International Law Commission
International Law Commission
The International Law Commission was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 for the "promotion of the progressive development of international law and its codification."It holds an annual session at the United Nations Office at Geneva....
.
In addition to his governmental and diplomatic experience, Dr. Alfaro's professional acumen derives from a background in law. He was formerly a professor of civil and international law in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
universities. He was also a member of the subcommittee that drafted treaties and arbitrated for the Inter-American Conference on Conciliation and Arbitration held in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1929. From 1959 to 1964, Dr. Alfaro was a judge in the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
, serving his last three years as vice-president. In 1964, Dr. Alfaro retired from his official duties.
Dr. Alfaro was the author of many articles and books on Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations for a career dedicated to improving conditions both in his country and globally.
Dr. Alfaro died in his eighty-ninth year in Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
on February 23, 1971. He was survived by his wife, Amelia Lyons de Alfaro; three sons, Dr. Victor Ricardo of Washington, Ivan Jose of Lima, Peru, and Rogelio Edwin of Panama City; two daughters, Mrs. Frank H. Weller (née Amelia or Amelita Victoria) of Potomac, Maryland
Potomac, Maryland
Potomac is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named for the nearby Potomac River. The population was 44,822 at the 2000 census. The Potomac area is known for its very affluent and highly-educated residents. In 2009 CNNMoney.com listed Potomac as the fourth...
, and Mrs. H. Cabell Maddux (née Yolanda Maria) of McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
; and many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, among them the singer Nancy Ames, and attorney and TV personality Elbert Alfaro in Miami Lakes, Florida.