Melissa’s Soapbox

The Plaza de Francia (the French Park) is dedicated to the explorers of the canal route and the more than 22,000 people lost during attempted canal construction under French leadership.  An obelisk of Le Coq, the French flag, and marble plaques commemorate the failed French effort in the late 1800’s.

Also in the square is a monument of Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 – 1894) whose nickname, Les Grand Français (the great Frenchman) just begins to exemplify his extraordinary celebrity and credibility.

Born in Versailles, de Lesseps’ first years were spent in Italy where his father was occupied with his consular duties.  After college in Paris and several administrative positions, de Lesseps was sent as an assistant vice-consul to Tunis where his father was consul-general in 1828.  In 1832, de Lesseps was appointed vice-consul at Alexandria where the research of other writers gave him the idea of constructing a canal across the African isthmus.  Fortunately for de Lesseps, the viceroy of Egypt owed his position in part to the recommendations made by de Lesseps influential father.

While serving his post, an epidemic of plague broke out and lasted for two years resulting in the deaths of more than a third of the inhabitants of Cairo and Alexandria.  During this time de Lesseps traveled between cities displaying unwavering leadership, zeal, and optimism.  From 1839 to 1853, de Lesseps held a variety of high level diplomatic positions in Spain and Italy, but after a failed diplomatic attempt to negotiate the terms of Pope Pius’ return to the Vatican, he retired from public office all together.

At this point, de Lesseps’ interest in the Suez Canal was in full swing.  After several versions, a plan was adopted in 1856 by an international commission of civil engineers.  Encouraged by this approval, de Lesseps no longer allowed anything to stop him.  He listened to no adverse criticism and receded before no obstacle.  With the support of emperor Napoleon III and empress Eugénie, de Lesseps succeeded in raising 200 million francs through his personal fervor and calls of patriotism.  On April 25, 1869, de Lesseps threw the first blow of the pickaxe, and on November 27, 1869 the canal was officially opened.  The enormous success of the project was accredited to de Lesseps extraordinary leadership, unwavering confidence, and tireless stamina.

In May 1879, de Lesseps assembled a congress of 135 delegates who ultimately voted in favor of the creation of the Panama Canal without locks, like the Suez Canal, upon flawed research and blind hubris dooming the project from the beginning.  In 1880, de Lesseps estimated that the project would take 658 million francs and 8 years to complete.  In addition to the technical difficulties, financial incompetence, corruption and equatorial diseases resulted in the Panama Canal Company declaring itself bankrupt in December 1888 and entering liquidation in February 1889.  While de Lesseps was considered the source of Suez’s success, those same characteristics became the downfall of the Panama endeavor.  The failure of the project is sometimes referred to as the Panama Canal Scandal and in February of 1893, de Lesseps, his son Charles, and a number of others faced trial and were found guilty.  Charles’ prison time was kept from de Lesseps due to his old age, and deteriorating health and mental stability.

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