Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (August 20, 1882 – February 23, 1971) served as 16th

President of Panama This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final separation from Colombia in 1903. Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841) Republic of Panama (19 ...

from January 16, 1931 to June 5, 1932. He belonged to the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Alfaro was born in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Early career

He began a career in the diplomatic service in 1905 as under-secretary for foreign affairs. He was first assigned to the U.S. in 1912 as legal counselor of the Panamanian legation for the

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

border dispute. Alfaro was also involved in settling numerous disputes arising from the construction of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. From 1915 to 1918, he was judge of a joint commission between

and the

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for settling claims relating to expropriations for the construction of the

Canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

. Later, in 1934 to 1936 and again, in 1953, Alfaro was involved in critical negotiations relating to

U.S The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. relations concerning the

. From 1922 to 1930, and from 1933 to 1936, Alfaro was Panamanian envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

In 1946, he was appointed

's minister of foreign relations; however, he resigned in 1947 to protest a proposed agreement with the

relating to the

. He was elected as the first presidential designate by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

for the term 1928-1930. In 1931, after a revolution in

, Alfaro was invited to become his country's president, a position he accepted and held from January 16, 1931 through June 5, 1932. In 1940, he was defeated in the presidential election; however continued to serve his country by helping to draft a new constitution for

in 1944.

Working for the United Nations

A significant portion of Alfaro's service to his country related to his work in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. In 1945, he headed the U.N. Relief and Recovery Administration mission to ten

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n republics. He was also

's delegate to the U.N. conference on international organization in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and chairman of the special committee that drafted the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

text of the United Nations Charter of 1945. In 1949, Alfaro was chairman of the legal committee of the third session of the U.N. General Assembly that drew up the text of the Convention on Genocide. From 1949 to 1953 served as member of the

International Law Commission The International Law Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 individuals recognized for their expertise and qualifications in international law, who are elected by t ...

. In that capacity, he promoted the Declaration on the Rights and Duties of States, and his draft became the basis of the version eventually approved by the commission. On June 3, 1949, he was appointed by that commission as rapporteur on the desirability of establishing a permanent court to try persons guilty of

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...

Academic career

In addition to his governmental and diplomatic experience, Alfaro's professional acumen derives from a background in law. He was formerly a professor of civil and international law in

universities. He was also a member of the subcommittee that drafted treaties and arbitrated for the Inter-American Conference on Conciliation and Arbitration held in the

in 1929. From 1959 to 1964, Dr. Alfaro was a judge in the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

, serving his last three years as vice-president. In 1964, Dr. Alfaro retired from his official duties. Alfaro was the author of many articles and books on

, and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations for a career dedicated to improving conditions both in his country and globally. Alfaro died in his eighty-ninth year in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

on February 23, 1971. He was survived by his wife, Amelia Lyons de Alfaro; three sons, Victor Ricardo of Washington, Ivan Jose of Lima, Peru, and Rogelio Edwin of Panama City; two daughters, Mrs. Frank H. Weller (née Amelia or Amelita Victoria) of

Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named after the nearby Potomac River. Potomac is the seventh most educated small town in America, based on percentage of residents with postsecondary deg ...

, and Mr. H. Cabell Maddux (née Yolanda Maria) of

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxim ...

; and many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, among them the singer

Nancy Ames Nancy Ames (born Nancy Hamilton Alfaro on September 30, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She regularly appeared on the American version of the television series ''That Was the Week That Was''. The TW3 Girl, as she was known, s ...

, and attorney and TV personality Elbert Alfaro in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Alfaro's legal philosophy

Throughout his activities as professor of law and member of various judicial bodies, Alfaro promoted the notion of universal criminal jurisdiction and government accountability at all levels. An example to that effect can be seen in that during the deliberations on the law of treaties at the ILC, he opposed the notion that an international agreement reached by exchange of notes did not require ratification by the state legislature of the contracting states. He held the Nuremberg Principles in high esteem and viewed them as an integral part of the principles of world order and world peace.''Yearbook of the ILC, 1950'', vol. 1, p. 150

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfaro Jovane, Ricardo Joaquin 1882 births 1971 deaths People from Panama City National Liberal Party (Panama) politicians Presidents of Panama Vice presidents of Panama Panamanian judges International Court of Justice judges 20th-century Panamanian lawyers Panamanian academics Panamanian diplomats Panamanian judges of United Nations courts and tribunals Panamanian expatriates in the United States