Guillermo Endara
A bespectacled, mild-mannered lawyer who was thrust into Panama's presidency to restore democracy after a US military invasion.
1936–2009 (age 73)·President of Panama from 1989 to 1994·Birthday: May 12·The Silent Generation
Biography
Guillermo Endara's presidency was born in extraordinary chaos. A lawyer and longtime opposition figure to military ruler Manuel Noriega, Endara had actually won a democratic election in May 1989, only to have Noriega annul the results. Months later, during the US invasion of Panama in December 1989, he was sworn in as president at a US military base, an image that would haunt his legitimacy. His task was monumental: rebuilding a nation shattered by invasion, economic sanctions, and years of dictatorship. His administration focused on economic recovery and strengthening democratic institutions, but struggled with political fragmentation and the enduring shadow of US influence. Endara's term represents a critical, fragile bridge between dictatorship and the more stable, democratic Panama that followed.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Guillermo was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Guillermo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Guillermo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2009Died at 73
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Served as President of Panama from 1989 to 1994, leading the country's transition to democracy after the ouster of Manuel Noriega.
- Oversaw the implementation of significant economic liberalization and privatization programs to rebuild Panama's sanctions-crippled economy.
- Presided over the abolition of the Panamanian Defense Forces, replacing them with a civilian-controlled public security force.
- Initiated constitutional reforms that were enacted after his presidency, strengthening democratic governance.
Did You Know?
He was sworn into office on the night of December 20, 1989, at a US Army installation in the Panama Canal Zone, just hours after the US invasion began.
During the annulled 1989 election, Endara and his running mates were physically attacked by Noriega's paramilitary 'Dignity Battalions' in a widely broadcast incident.
Before politics, he was a successful corporate lawyer and a professor of law.
He ran for president again in 2004 and 2009 but was unsuccessful.
“We will restore the rule of law, not the rule of the gun.”
