Federico Boyd

Federico Boyd

Federico Augusto Boyd López (24 September 1851 – 25 May 1924) was acting President of Panama from October 1, 1910 to October 5, 1910. He belonged to the Liberal Party.

Boyd was born in Panama City on September 24, 1851. He was the son of Archibaldo B. Boyd and Maria Lopez de Boyd. He was a businessman who became an active member of the Patriotic Revolutionary Junta that struggled to get Panama's independence from Colombia. He fought in favor of his country without thinking of the danger of the actions he undertook. He served in several positions: member of the Panama City Town Hall (1888); member of the Provisional Government Junta (1903); National Assembly senator (1910); head of state of Panama (1910); foreign relations minister (1911–1912); ambassador and minister in Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium; general consul; and business representative in Honduras and El Salvador.

His talent as public speaker brought him to represent Panama's interests before the Colombian Government. He presented a petition to obtain a delay on the negotiations with the French Government to build a Panama Canal. Later on, his intervention made possible a negotiation with the U.S. Government for the construction of an interoceanic canal through the Isthmus of Panama.

Boyd died in New York City on May 25, 1924. He is remembered as one of the founding fathers of Panama.

References

• Mellander, Gustavo A.(1971) The United States in Panamanian Politics: The Intriguing Formative Years. Daville,Ill.:Interstate Publishers. OCLC 138568.
• Mellander, Gustavo A.; Nelly Maldonado Mellander (1999). Charles Edward Magoon: The Panama Years. Río Piedras, Puerto Rico: Editorial Plaza Mayor. ISBN 1-56328-155-4. OCLC 42970390.