For the Panamanian corregimiento, see Omar Torrijos, Panama.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Torrijos and the second or maternal family name is Herrera.
Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution
Omar Torrijos
Torrijos in 1978
Military Leader of Panama
In office October 11, 1968 – July 31, 1981
President
José María Pinilla (1968–69) Demetrio Lakas Bahas (1969–78) Arístides Royo (1978–82)
Preceded by
Arnulfo Arias (President)
Succeeded by
Rubén Darío Paredes
Personal details
Born
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera
February 13, 1929 Santiago, Panama
Died
July 31, 1981(1981-07-31) (aged 52) near Penonomé, Panama
Resting place
Torrijos Mausoleum Amador, Panama City, Panama
Political party
Democratic Revolutionary Party (1979–1981)
Spouse
Raquel Pauzner de Torrijos
Children
3
Occupation
Military Officer, Dictator
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
Panama
Branch/service
National Guard of Panama
Years of service
1950-1981
Rank
Brigadier General
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera (February 13, 1929 – July 31, 1981) was a Panamanian dictator, as well as the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama, but instead held self-imposed and all-encompassing titles including "Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution". Torrijos took power in a coup d'état and instituted a number of social reforms.
Torrijos is best known for negotiating the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties that eventually gave Panama full sovereignty over the Panama Canal. The two treaties guaranteed that Panama would gain control of the Panama Canal after 1999, ending the control of the canal that the U.S. had exercised since 1903. On December 31, 1999, the final phase of the treaty, the US relinquished control of the Panama Canal and all areas in what had been the Panama Canal Zone.
His son Martín Torrijos was elected president and served from 2004 to 2009.
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera (February 13, 1929 – July 31, 1981) was a Panamanian dictator, as well as the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and...
name of the airport was changed in 1981 by the military government to OmarTorrijos International Airport, in honor of the Panamanian leader who died on...
with OmarTorrijos. In 1968, Torrijos overthrew President Arnulfo Arias in a coup. Noriega became chief of military intelligence in Torrijos's government...
pressure orchestrated by Torrijos against the United States was viewed as nationalist. Despite his aggressive methods, Torrijos is recognized as one of...
Torrijos can mean: General José María de Torrijos y Uriarte (1791–1831), 19th-century Spanish Liberal politician OmarTorrijos (1929–1981) was a Panamanian...
was appointed president for the same period. In 1981, Torrijos died in a plane crash. Torrijos' death altered the tone of Panama's political evolution...
The Order of OmarTorrijos Herrera is an order of Panama, named in honor of OmarTorrijos Herrera (1929-1981), who was the Commander of Panamanian Forces...
President Jimmy Carter and the de facto leader of Panama, General OmarTorrijos, signed the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, which set in motion the process of handing...
meetings with some prominent individuals, including Graham Greene and OmarTorrijos. Perkins describes the role of an economic hit man as follows: Economic...
OmarTorrijos Herrera is a district in the Panamanian province of Colón, located approximately 115 kilometres (71 mi) west of Panama City. It is named...
Independence. Originally a critic of the military regime headed by OmarTorrijos, he served as its Vice-Minister of Health. In 1978, he organized the...
OmarTorrijos National Park, which was opened in 1986 and is a major tourist attraction for its natural hiking trails. The rural house where Torrijos...
Commander of the Panamanian National Guard following the death of General OmarTorrijos on 31 July 1981. Colonel Flores assumed command of the Panamanian military...
Canal Treaty (also called Torrijos–Carter Treaties) was signed by Commander of Panama's National Guard, General OmarTorrijos and U.S. President Jimmy...
in Cuba (Gerardo Machado, Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro), Panama (OmarTorrijos, Manuel Noriega), the Dominican Republic (Desiderio Arias, Cipriano...
communist Cuban government, and the socialist Panamanian government of OmarTorrijos, and the social democratic Venezuelan government of Carlos Andrés Pérez...
President Jimmy Carter and the Panamanian Head of Government, General OmarTorrijos, met at the Washington DC headquarters of the Organization of American...
out. In 1973, WerBell was asked to assist with a coup d'état against OmarTorrijos of Panama, according to CIA documents released in 1993. WerBell sought...
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