Charles Edward Magoon

Charles Edward Magoon
Charles Edward Magoon
2nd Provisional Governor of Cuba
In office
October 13, 1906 – January 28, 1909
Appointed byTheodore Roosevelt
Preceded byWilliam Howard Taft
Succeeded byJosé Miguel Gómez
(as President of Cuba)
2nd Military Governor of Panama Canal Zone
In office
1905–1906
Appointed byTheodore Roosevelt
Preceded byGeorge Whitefield Davis
Succeeded byRichard Reid Rogers
(as General Counsel)
3rd United States Minister to Panama
In office
August 7, 1905 – September 25, 1906
Appointed byTheodore Roosevelt
Preceded byJohn Barrett
Succeeded byHerbert G. Squiers
Personal details
Born(1861-12-05)December 5, 1861
Owatonna, Minnesota
DiedJanuary 14, 1920(1920-01-14) (aged 58)
Washington, D.C.[1]
Resting placeWyuka Cemetery
Lincoln, Nebraska
40°49′03″N 96°39′53″W / 40.8175°N 96.6647°W / 40.8175; -96.6647 (Grave of Charles Edward Magoon)
OccupationLawyer
Signature

Charles Edward Magoon (December 5, 1861 – January 14, 1920) was an American lawyer, judge, diplomat, and administrator who is best remembered as a governor of the Panama Canal Zone; he also served as Minister to Panama at the same time. He was Provisional Governor of Cuba during the American occupation of Cuba from 1906 to 1909.

He was the subject of several scandals during his career. As a legal advisor working for the United States Department of War, he drafted recommendations and reports that were used by Congress and the executive branch in governing the United States' new territories following the Spanish–American War. These reports were collected as a published book in 1902, then considered the seminal work on the subject.[1] During his time as a governor, Magoon worked to put these recommendations into practice. In summary: Magoon was hugely successful in Panama but criticized for his tenure in Cuba.

  1. ^ a b "C.E. Magoon Dies" (fee). The New York Times. January 15, 1920. p. 11.