Antonio C. Gonzalez

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ANTONIO C. GONZALEZ

ANTONIO C. GONZALEZ, b6rn in New York City, attended and graduated from the Hew York Public Schools, and New York College -Preparatory School in New York, Thereafter attended ^he George Washington University School of Medicine and School of Law, graduating with the Degree of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). Was admitted, after examination to the Bar of Connecticut and practiced law at Hartford, Connecticut, was admitted, after examination, to the Bar of the State of New York, and practiced in the Law offices of Olcott, Mestre fr Gonzalez, in New YOrk City, which firm was established by his Father Antonio C. Gonzalez,Sr., in 1876, and he specialized in International, Corporation and Spanish American law, as was the practice of said firm, and he became special counsel to various American corporations and firms in Spanish American matters and represented American interests in Latin America and also before Internat- ional Claims Commissions at Washington arising as a result of the First World War and thereafter arising as a result of the Mexican Revolution of 1916, and he obtained from both Com- missions large awards in favor of the American interests represented. He is also a member of the Federal Bar of Connecticut, New York and District of Columbia, and of the Bars of the Re- public of Panama and the Canal Zone and admitted to practice before the various Boards of the United States Government at Washington, D.C.

He is a descendant of a long line of distinguished lawyers and jurists of Cuba and Spain and on his Fathers1 s, his great great grand Father Dr. RapaeJ Jose Gonzalez who was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1734, was the Solicitor General and later Attorney General of the Spanish Crown by appointment of Fernando Seventh King of Spain in 1802, and served as such in Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico and Cuba. On his Mother's side, he is a great grand nephew of Simon Rodriguez the Tutor of Simon Bolivar the Liberator of five of the Latin American countries.

He married Evelyn Quinlan, who later became a lawyer and a member of the Bar of New York, and subsequently held important legal positions, and was an Assistant District Attor*o ney of N.Y. County and a Commissioner of N.Y. State Commission of Correction and Probation. She died on August 8, 1954•

In 1933, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of Panama, where he negotiated treaty relations between the United States-and Panama which was thereafter ratified and signed by both Governments. He also arranged the negotiation for the first radio station to be established in Panama and for the improvement of relations between the Canal Zone and the Republic of Panama Y/hich had been strained. In 1934, as a result of the Tidal Wave Disaster in Honduras and El Salvador, he organized with the assistance of his wife, a relief expedition which with the cooperation of the Army in the Canal Zone, planes were furnished, food supplies, clothing collected collected in Panama, tents, medical supplies, doctors" "and nurses were sent to the' relief of the"striken " people in Honduras and El Salvador. He also arranged for the relief of the stranded Americans in the interior pf Panama and arranged for their hospitalization and thereafter for their trans- portation to return to the United States. Atbthe request of the Panama Government he and his wife made a survey of the school system v/hich resulted in the reorganization of the school system to conform to A merican standards of education. In recognition of the friendly relations established between the Canal Zone and the Republic of Panama, he received from, the Panama Government a Parchment Scroll of Honor signed by the President of Panama, and all the members of his Cabinet and by prominent American and Panamamnian business men of the City of Panama and from the Canal Zone a Testimonial Resolution adopted by the Central Labor Union and by The Metals Trade Council, a branch of the American Federation of Labor in the Canal Zone. y I expressing "appreciating the Tery friendly attitude shown during his tenure of office as United States Minister to Panama** He also received from the Republic of Panama its decoration the Order of Vasco Nufiez de Balboa in the grade of Gran Oficial.

In 1935, he was appointed Enroy Extraortinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to the HeDUblif of Ecuador, where he promoted friendly relations between the United States and the Republic of Ecuador and negotiated the Reciprocal Tr*de Agreement between the United States and Ecuador and arranged for a Naval Mission snd the establishment of a Naval School at Guayaquil, Ecuador, In promoting good-will between the Army of Ecuador and the Army in the Canal Zone, he arranged for the American Army Officers Polo Team to visit Ecuador and in represent a tidn of the Army in the Canal Zone to play a geries of Polo games at Quito, Ecuador which resulted in the establishment of friendly relations not theretofore maintained, and also in heving many of the officers of the Ecuadorian Army visit the Canal Zone and participate in the maneuvers of the American Army in the Canal Zone upon invitation of the Commanding General in the Canal Zone, Thereafter, in order for the cadets of the Military Academy of Ecuador to know the West Point Cadets, arrangements were made for a delegation of West Point Codeta to visit Ecuador and some eighteen West Point Cadets arrived and stayed in Quito, Ecuador, as the guests of the Ecuadorian Military Academy Cedetst and that visit also improved gelations between the United States an* Ecuador* Since the American diplomatic representative under treaty also pets on behalf of Chinese interests in a country where there is no Chinese diplomatic representative, he was able to bring about a satisfactory settlement between the Government of Ecuador and said Chinese interests in a commercial matter and as a result of which he received through the United States Department of State official commendation through the Chinese Embassy at Washington, D.C, Thereafter, when Gernen Refugees in Ecuador were about to be expelled from Ecuador, hew»«able to obtain a revocation of the Decree of Expulsion and thereby said Refugees wer£ permitted to remain Instead of being returned to Germany from which they had fled for safety. Dur- ing the earthquake disaster of 1936, which Occurred on the border between Ecuador nnd Colombia, he and his wife assisted the Red Cross of Ecuador in Giving aid and comfort to the striken victims, and as a result thereof his wife was decorated by the Red Cross of Ecuador and was appointed the Permanent Delegate 6f the Ecuadorian Red Cross to the National Red Cross at Washington, D.C. In recognition of the friendly relations established between the United States and the Government of Ecuador, he was decorated v/ith the highest decoration of Ecuador, the Grand Cross and at the game time hig wife wes decorated with the highest decoration ever given to a woman, the Medal Al Merito in the cp"pde of Commander. He also received in "recognition of the friendly relations established between the Army of Ecuador and the American Army in the Canal Zone, the highest military decoration of the Ecuadorian Army, the Gold Medal of Abdon Calderon which was conferred by the Minister of Defense. At the unveiling of the Equestrnin Statute of Simon Bolivar the Liberator at Quito, Ecuador, in 1935, he was appointed Special Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States. He also received the Grand Cross of the International Foundation of Eloy Alfaro, B former President of Ecuador.

In 1938, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to the United States of Venezuela, where he negotiated the Recip- rocal Trad*3 Apree/nent between the United States and Venezuela which was si

He has served with the 7th Regiment of Infantry, New York National Guard (now 207th Anti-Aircraft Regiment) and later as an offioer of Coast Artillery, New York Kational Guard and Field Artillery and in Federal Servioe,1916-1918. His Grand- father served as an offioer in the 165th Regiment New York during the Civil War and his own father was legal consultant to the Congress of the United States on Cuban af- fairs during the War between the United States and Spain. On leaving the military servioe he reoeived an Honorable Discharge•

In 1937, he reoeived from Pope Pius XI, the decoration of Knight of St. Gregory the Great in the Order of Commander with Plaque;in 1938, he received from Georgetown University at Washington,D.C, the Degree of Doctor of Laws(LLoD.)i in 1951 he reoeived from the Government of Cuba, its decoration of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes in the grade of Ofioiali in 1951, he received from the Government of Panama its decoration the Order of Vasco Nunes de Balboa in the grade of Gran Official, also the Gold Medal of Honor from the Pan American Society and the Gold Medal of the Bolivian Societies of firntint and Ecuador.

He is a member of the College fraternities of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Chi Fhi(medical), Bar Associations,Seventh Regiment Veterans Association of New York and California,Bolivian Societies of Panama,Ecuador and Venezuela &nd American Foreign Servioe Association* He maintains an office for the practioe of International Law and Public Relations in Latin America at 18 East 41st St.M.Y.City.