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George Washington Goethals

George Washington Goethals [GO-tuhles] (29 June 1858 - 21 January 1928) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer, best known for his supervision of construction and the opening of the Panama Canal. The Goethals Bridge between Staten Island, New York City and Elizabeth, New Jersey is named in his honor, as is the Goethals Medal.

Goethals was born in Brooklyn, New York. He studied at the College of the City of New York before attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1880. He is a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. That same year he was appointed second lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He taught civil and military engineering at the academy until 1888. By 1891 he had risen to the position of captain.

During the Spanish-American War he was lieutenant colonel and chief of engineers of United States Volunteers. In 1907 US President Theodore Roosevelt appointed George Washington Goethals chief engineer of the Panama Canal. The building of the Canal was completed in 1914, one year ahead of the target date of June 1, 1915.

Colonel Goethals received unstinted praise from visiting engineers and from the technical press of the entire civilized world. In 1913 the degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by the University of Pennsylvania, and in the spring of 1914 he was awarded medals by the National Geographic Society, the Civic Forum (New York), and the National Institute of Social Sciences. President Wilson appointed him the first Civil Governor of the Panama Canal Zone.

He resigned from the post of Governor of the Canal Zone in 1916 and was made chairman of the board of inquiry in regard to the Adamson eight-hour law. His positions thereafter were: State engineer of New Jersey in 1917, manager of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (briefly), acting quartermaster of the United States Army, and a member of the War Industries Board (1918). In 1919, he requested his release from his active service. Later on, he headed an engineering and construction firm.

He is a direct ancestor of actress Angela Goethals.

Family made residence on Martha's Vineyard where they still reside during the summer there today.

In World War II the United States liberty ship SS G. W. Goethals was named in his honor.

• Panama Canal Authority biography

George W. Goethals grandson was a senior lecturer in the department of psychology at Harvard University until his death in 1995. He taught popular courses in adolesecense and taught in the 1960s a course with Eric Erickson.