George Washington Goethals (1858-1928), American engineer and builder of the Panama Canal. Goethals was made an officer in the Corps of Engineers in the US Army in 1880. In 1907 he was appointed chief engineer of the Panama canal project and had full responsibility for constructing the canal and administering the canal zone. Goethals capably handled personnel and engineering problems, completing the Canal 3 years ahead of schedule in 1914. Goethals was governor of the zone until 1916. After World War I he retired from the army and became a civil engineering consultant. Photographed in 1919.