George Washington Goethals

George Washington Goethals was a U.S. Army engineer who served as chief engineer of the Panama Canal construction from 1907 to 1914. He later became the canal’s first governor.

Panama Canal: An artificial waterway across Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Goethals directed construction of this waterway from 1907 until its opening in 1914.
John Findley Wallace: An American engineer who served as chief engineer of the Panama Canal project from 1904 to 1905. Wallace preceded Goethals, whose leadership brought greater continuity to construction.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: A U.S. Army organization responsible for military engineering and a wide range of civil works. Goethals was an Army engineer whose professional training came through the Corps.
Panama Canal inauguration: The formal 1914 ceremonies marking the completion and opening of the Panama Canal. The inauguration publicly marked the completion of the project Goethals led.
Gatun Dam: A large earth dam in Panama that created Gatun Lake and helped control the Panama Canal’s water supply. Its construction was among the major engineering challenges Goethals oversaw.
John Frank Stevens: An American railroad engineer who served as chief engineer of the Panama Canal project from 1905 to 1907. Stevens established major logistical and sanitary foundations before Goethals took over.
West Point: The United States Military Academy, an undergraduate institution that trains commissioned officers for the U.S. Army. Goethals graduated from the academy in 1880 before pursuing a military engineering career.
SS Ancon: A U.S. cargo and passenger ship that made the first official transit through the Panama Canal in August 1914. Its transit demonstrated the canal’s operation shortly after Goethals completed construction.
Gatun Lake: An artificial lake in Panama that forms a central section of the Panama Canal. Goethals’s canal plan used the lake as a navigable route through the interior.
Isthmian Canal Commission: A U.S. government body that planned and supervised construction of an interoceanic canal across the Isthmus of Panama. The commission oversaw the project for which Goethals became chief engineer.

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Ferdinand de LessepsCompared with: Goethals completed the canal under the American project that followed the French collapse.