Obituaries : Ricardo Arias Espinosa; Former Head of Panama

Ricardo Arias Espinosa, 80, president of Panama from 1955 to 1956. Arias Espinosa was second vice president when President Jose Remon Cantera was assassinated at a horse racetrack in Panama City on Jan. 2, 1955. He was sworn in as president after First Vice President Jose Ramon Guizado was accused of involvement in the murder. The legislature stripped Guizado of immunity, but a criminal court jury cleared him of all charges. Little in the way of accomplishment marked Arias Espinosa’s tenure and he was replaced in 1956 elections by Ernesto de la Guardia. In Panama City on Monday of cancer.