Torrijos Herrera, Omar, << tawr REE hohs ehr RAY rah, oh MAHR >> (1929-1981), was the military dictator of Panama from 1968 until his death. He was best known for his successful negotiations with United States President Jimmy Carter in 1977 over the future of the Panama Canal. The canal is a key waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Torrijos negotiated two treaties that gave Panama control of the canal in stages, with the transfer to be completed on Dec. 31, 1999.
Torrijos also gained popularity as a champion of Panama’s lower classes, whom previous governments had often ignored. He instituted important reforms in labor law and land rights to more fairly distribute wealth.
Torrijos was born on Feb. 13, 1929, in Santiago de Veraguas. His parents were both rural school teachers. He was educated at El Salvador’s military academy and the U.S. School of the Americas, a military training center in Panama. He rose through the ranks of the Panamanian National Guard. In 1968, he joined other senior officers in deposing the elected civilian government of President Arnulfo Arias Madrid.
After a brief power struggle within the National Guard, Torrijos emerged as the nation’s strongman. He governed Panama as a military dictator until 1978, when he founded the Democratic Revolutionary Party and formally stepped down as head of the Panamanian government. However, he remained the commander of the National Guard and continued to rule from behind the scenes. Torrijos died in a plane crash on Aug. 1, 1981, while on his way to inspect military installations.
