Guillermo Ford

Guillermo Ford
Vice President of Panama
In office 1992–1994
President	Guillermo Endara
Preceded by	Ricardo Arias Calderón
Succeeded by	Tomás Gabriel Altamirano
Personal details
Born	November 11, 1936 Panama City, Panama
Died	March 19, 2011 (aged 74) Panama City, Panama

Guillermo "Billy" Ford Boyd (November 11, 1936 – March 19, 2011) was the Second Vice President of Panama. He was one of the running mates of presidential candidate Guillermo Endara during the 1989 Panamanian election campaign. During the election campaign the United States Government gave $10 million to the Endara campaign and the election results were subsequently annulled by the Panamanian Government on 10 May.^[1]

After a rally in support of Endara and Ford, members of the Dignity Battalions, armed with guns, pipes, and wooden planks, attacked Ford and his entourage.^[2][3] A photo of the attack 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.^[2][3] United States president George H. W. Bush referred to the Dignity Battalions as "doberman thugs" in a press conference that he held on 13 May 1989.^[4][5]

During the Invasion of Panama on 20 December 1989, U.S. officials swore Endara in as President on a United States military base in the Canal Zone and Ford was appointed as Vice President.^[2] Ford served as Vice President from the end of 1989 until 1994.^[2]

Ford died March 19, 2011 in his residency in Panama City, Republic of Panama, and he received a state funeral.^[6][7] The Panamanian National Assembly also honored him with a special resolution.^[8]

References

1. "Franklin J, 2001, PANAMA:BACKGROUND AND BUILDUP TO INVASION OF 1989".
2. "'Bloodied but unbowed' former Vice-President dies in Panama," Newsroom Panama, March 19, 2011. Found at Newsroom Panama website. Accessed March 21, 2011.
3. "Attack on Guillermo Ford" on Iconic Photos website. Accessed March 21, 2011.
4. Cawley, Janet. "Put Noriega Out, Bush Says". 14 May 1989. the Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
5. Freund, Charles Paul (May 16, 1989). "Bush's Remarkable Randomness". The Washington Post.  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
6. "Funeral de Guillermo Ford será similar al de Endara," TVN Panamá, March 21, 2011. Found at TVN-2 news website. (In Spanish) Accessed March 21, 2011.
7. "Gabinete decide hoy asueto por funeral de Ford," Critica, March 21, 2011. Found at 'Critica news website. (In Spanish) Accessed March 21, 2011.
8. Deivis Eliecer Cerrud, "Asamblea inicia consultas para estudio de legislación minera," La Estrella, March 21, 2011. Found at La Estrella newspaper website. (In Spanish) Accessed March 21, 2011.