Guillermo "Billy" Ford Boyd (November 11, 1936 – March 19, 2011) was the Second

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

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 Co ...

. He was one of the running mates of presidential candidate

Guillermo Endara Guillermo David Endara Galimany (May 12, 1936 – September 28, 2009) was a Panamanian politician who served as the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. Raised in a family allied to Panameñista Party founder Arnulfo Arias, Endara attended ...

during the 1989 Panamanian election campaign. The election results were annulled by the Noriega regime before counting finished after it had been shown that Endara and Ford's coalition was leading Noriega's backed candidate by a 3 to 1 margin. After a rally in support of Endara and Ford, members of the

Dignity Battalions Dignity Battalions ( es, Batallones de la Dignidad) were paramilitary militia units created by Panama's ''de facto'' ruler Manuel Noriega in April 1988 to augment the Panama Defense Forces in defending Panama against possible invasion by the Unit ...

, armed with guns, pipes, and wooden planks, attacked Ford and his entourage. A photo of the attack on Ford by a member of the Dignity Battalions appeared on the cover of ''

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'', and ''

U.S. News ''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR) is an American media company that publishes news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. It was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and international-focused ...

''. The iconic photo by

Ron Haviv Ron Haviv (born 1965) is an American photojournalist who covers conflicts. He is the author of several photographic publications, is a co-founder of VII Photo Agency, lectures at universities and conducts workshops. Biography Ron Haviv was a stu ...

(of AFP), of Ford in his white

guayabera The guayabera (), also known as ''camisa de Yucatán'' (Yucatán shirt), is a men's summer shirt, worn outside the trousers, distinguished by two vertical rows of closely sewn pleats running the length of the front and back of the shirt. Typical ...

shirt splattered bright red with blood became one of the most famous images of 1989."'Bloodied but unbowed' former Vice-President dies in Panama," ''Newsroom Panama'', March 19, 2011. Found a
''Newsroom Panama'' website
. Accessed March 21, 2011."Attack on Guillermo Ford" on
Iconic Photos website
Accessed March 21, 2011. 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. During the

Invasion of Panama The United States invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause, lasted over a month between mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. It occurred during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ten years after the Torrijos� ...

on 20 December 1989, U.S. officials swore Endara in as president on a United States military base in the

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

and Ford was appointed as vice president. Ford served as vice president from the end of 1989 until 1994. Ford died March 19, 2011 in his residency 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 ...

, Republic of Panama, and he received a state funeral. The Panamanian National Assembly also honored him with a special resolution.Deivis Eliecer Cerrud, "Asamblea inicia consultas para estudio de legislación minera," ''La Estrella'', March 21, 2011. Found a
''La Estrella'' newspaper website
. (''In Spanish'') Accessed March 21, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Guillermo 1939 births 2011 deaths Vice presidents of Panama Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement politicians People from Panama City