Antonio C. Gonzalez
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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 there- after 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 re- lations 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 re- presentative 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 es- tablished 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 establish- ed 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<?ied and ratified by both Governments. At the request of the Department of State, he mpde nn extensive survey of locations for the colonization of European groups and thereafter, when difficulties arose between the Government of Venezuele and Chinese interests, he again in his duel capacity was able to adjust the same and avoid the deportation of Chinese. When the Government of Trinidad revoked its invitation for German Jewish Refugees to enter Trinidad and said Refugees found themselvee on the high sea with no to so, he conferred with the President of Venezuela end his Cabinet on a '"•••• r humanitarian bases and obtained permission for the ship with the Refugees to land in Venezuela and colonize and assist in the development of agriculture, and those who were doctors and nurses, to assist in the public health in the interior* At the special request of the President of Venezuela, he and his wife a Volunteer Social Worker in the City of New York, and an authority in natters of Social Service, ar- ranged and organised the first Social Serviee Conference ever held in Venezuela com- posed of oitstanding and recognised specialists from the United States and twenty two suoh delegates attended covering the firId of education,housing4banking, social relat- ions, health, welfare, courts and agriculture, on which Commission his wife was a delegate and which Conference was held in the City of Caraoas, Venezuela in June,1939. In 1939, due to the illness of his wife, he was obliged to return to the United States and resign from the serrioe of the Department of State.