George Washington Goethals

George Washington Goethals , 1858-1928, U.S. army engineer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. West Point, 1880. After serving on various inland water projects, he was appointed chief engineer of the Panama Canal when John F. Stevens resigned (1907). Goethals found the difficulty of the work increased by the climate, yellow fever, labor troubles, unexpected complications in building the locks, and crumbling substrata in the Culebra Cut. By taking intense personal interest in the men and expressing satisfaction in their individual achievements, he created an atmosphere of cooperation and completed the project ahead of schedule. He was governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1914-16). In World War I he was briefly (1917) general manager of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, then (Jan.-Apr., 1918) head of the Bureau of Purchase and Supplies, and finally assistant chief of staff in charge of supplies.

Goethals, George Washington ˈgōthəlz (1858–1928) military officer and chief engineer of the Panama Canal, born in Brooklyn, New York. Goethals's responsibilities included housing and provisioning the work force on the Canal, for which he became a hero. Following the successful completion of the canal (1914), ahead of time and under budget, Goethals remained as governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1914–17). After a series of mediocre results in positions in which he did not have absolute authority, he was given control of, and totally reorganized, the Quartermaster Department, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (1918).