Arnulfo Arias facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arnulfo Arias
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Arnulfo Arias in 1968.
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| 21st, 31st, and 43rd President of Panama | |
| In office 1 October 1940 – 9 October 1941 |
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| Deputy | Presidential designates José Pezet Arosemena Ernesto Jaén Guardia Aníbal Ríos Delgado |
| Preceded by | Augusto Samuel Boyd |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo de la Guardia |
| In office 24 November 1949 – 9 May 1951 |
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| Vice President | Alcibíades Arosemena José Ramón Guizado |
| Preceded by | Roberto F. Chiari |
| Succeeded by | Alcibíades Arosemena |
| In office 1 October 1968 – 11 October 1968 |
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| Vice President | Raúl Arango José Dominador Bazán |
| Preceded by | Marco Aurelio Robles Méndez |
| Succeeded by | José María Pinilla Fábrega |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Arnulfo Arias Madrid
15 August 1901 Penonomé, Coclé Province, Panama |
| Died | 10 August 1988 (aged 86) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Panameñista Party |
| Spouses |
Ana Matilde Linares
(m. 1927; wid. 1955) |
Arnulfo Arias Madrid (born August 15, 1901 – died August 10, 1988) was an important Panamanian politician. He was also a medical doctor and a writer. He served as the President of Panama three times. His terms were from 1940 to 1941, then from 1949 to 1951, and finally for just 11 days in October 1968.
Throughout his life, Arnulfo Arias was concerned about the military's growing power in Panamanian politics. He promised to reduce their influence. However, the military often interfered with his political career. They stopped him from becoming president in 1948, even though he won the election. He was also removed from his presidential office three times by military takeovers.
Early Life and Education
Arnulfo Arias Madrid was born in Penonomé, a town in Coclé Province, Panama. His birthday was August 15, 1901. His parents were Antonio Arias and Carmen Madrid. He had a brother named Harmodio Arias, who also served as President of Panama. Harmodio was president for a short time in 1931 and then from 1932 to 1936.
Arnulfo started his schooling in Penonomé. He later went to high school in New York City. He studied medicine and surgery at two famous universities: Harvard University and the University of Chicago. After that, he chose to specialize in areas like psychiatry (studying the mind), obstetrics (helping with childbirth), and endocrinology (studying hormones).
Political Journey
In 1925, Arias came back to Panama. He became a leader of a group called Patriotic Communal Action. This group was formed because many people in Panama were unhappy. They felt the United States had too much influence over their country. This group later became the main part of the Panameñista Party. Panama had been very closely linked to the U.S. since it gained independence from Colombia in 1903. Arias was known as a strong nationalist, meaning he believed in his country's independence and pride.
In 1931, Arias led a movement that removed President Florencio Harmodio Arosemena from office. The next year, he helped his brother Harmodio become president. After that, Arnulfo worked in the government and as a diplomat. He even served as Panama's Ambassador to Italy when Benito Mussolini was in power there.
In 1940, Arnulfo Arias was elected president with a huge number of votes. He was the candidate for the National Revolutionary Party, which later became the Panameñista Party. Soon after becoming president, Arias introduced a new constitution. This new law gave women the right to vote for the very first time in Panama. However, he was removed from office in October 1941 by a takeover led by the police. Arias was a strong nationalist. Because he had served in Italy during Mussolini's time, some people thought he supported the Axis powers during World War II. Some politicians in Washington, D.C., were worried about Arias leading Panama during the war. Some historians believe that U.S. President Roosevelt supported his removal.
Arias always spoke out against the police having too much power in politics. He called it "a cancer" on the country. He ran for president again in 1948. He clearly won the election, but the military did not allow him to take office. However, a year later, the National Assembly declared that he had actually won. He then appointed Norberto Navarro, a long-time helper, as Minister of Public Works. Facing more interference from the police, Arias tried to limit their power. But he was overthrown again in 1951 by Colonel Jose Remon Cantera, who was the police chief of Panama City. Panama did not have an army at that time. Arias had to leave the country, but he remained very popular with many people. He ran for president again in 1964. Then, he won the 1968 elections as the leader of a group of five political parties.
When he took office in October 1968, he tried to change the leadership of the National Guard. But after only eleven days as president, he was removed from office for the third time. He had to escape secretly to the Canal Zone in the middle of the night. His opponents quickly found records of some of his past actions. The Presidential Palace was attacked by soldiers led by Omar Torrijos. Arias left the palace after his guards disappeared and after getting a call from the Costa Rican President, who warned him that the border was closed.
Arias and his chief of staff, Hildebrando Nicosia, later left the Canal Zone and went to Miami, Florida. His 93-year-old mother, who was sleeping upstairs, was not harmed or disturbed because she had taken out her hearing aids.
After the U.S. put pressure on military leader Omar Torrijos to allow more freedom, Arias and Nicosia returned to Panama in 1978. While they were away, a small group from Arias's Panameñista Party joined the group supporting Torrijos. This small group took control of the party's official registration. However, most of the party members stayed with Arias. They renamed their group the Authentic Panameñista Party. In 1990, it was renamed the Arnulfista Party, and in 2005, it went back to its original name, the Panameñista Party.
In 1984, when he was 83 years old, Arias ran for president again. His campaign faced difficulties because of a book called Holocaust in Panama. This book was spread by Manuel Noriega, who was then in control of the government. The book falsely claimed that Arias had caused a massacre of Jewish people in 1941. When early results showed Arias winning by a lot, the government, controlled by Noriega, stopped counting votes. They openly changed the results to say that their chosen candidate, Nicolás Ardito Barletta, had won by only 1,713 votes. People who watched the election independently believed that Arias would have won easily if the election had been fair. Because of this, Barletta was nicknamed fraudito (little fraud). Arias had to leave Panama again and went back to Florida. This event marked the beginning of Noriega's military rule.
Death and Legacy
On August 10, 1988, Arnulfo Arias died of a heart attack at his home in Coral Gables, Miami. His wife, Mireya Moscoso, was with him. His death caused a period of national sadness in Panama. His body was brought to Panama City, and a very large funeral was held. During the funeral, his supporters protested against Noriega. Arias was buried in Jardin de Paz cemetery on August 15, which would have been his 87th birthday.
After his death, Guillermo Endara became the main opponent of the military government. He led the opposition group in the 1989 presidential election. Even though he won against the candidate supported by Noriega, the government canceled the results. Endara and his running mates were badly beaten in the streets by government-supported groups. Seven months later, the United States launched Operation Just Cause. Soon after, Arias' party regained power.
On January 8, 2012, 23 years after his death, his remains were moved to a new burial place. This was done to fulfill his last wish. He was given a state funeral and re-buried in a special mausoleum. This mausoleum is near the Arias Madrid Family Museum in Penonomé, Coclé Province, Panama. Today, there are monuments, schools, and even a town avenue named after him.
Personal Life
Arias married Ana Matilde Linares in 1927. They were together until she passed away in 1955. In 1964, he married Mireya Moscoso. They remained together until his death. Mireya Moscoso later became the first woman President of Panama after the 1999 elections.
During his first marriage, he adopted a son named Gerardo Edilberto Arias (1929–2002).
See also
In Spanish: Arnulfo Arias Madrid para niños
