Ricardo Manuel Arias Espinosa (5 April 1912 – 15 March 1993) was the 29th President of Panama.

Biography

Born in Washington, D.C., from a prominent Panamanian political family, Arias studied at universities in the United States, Colombia and Chile. He became Second Vice President of Panama in 1952, and served as president from March 29, 1955, to October 1, 1956. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition (CNP). He was President of the National Assembly from 1956 to 1957. He later served as the Panamanian Ambassador to the United States during the 1960s and in the Board of Directors of numerous companies in Panama. He died on March 15, 1993, in Panama City, of cancer. He had two sons and two daughters. His son, Ricardo Alberto Arias, has been minister of foreign affairs and the Panamanian ambassador to the United Nations.