Omar Torrijos

Omar Torrijos (1929–1981) was an army officer in Panama who rose to power by killing his opponents. From 1968 until his death in a plane accident in 1981, Torrijos ruled Panama as a tyrant. He was never elected to anything, but gave himself the title of "Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution."

He negotiated the Panama Canal Treaty with the United States in 1978, and reportedly planned on sabotaging the canal if the U.S. Senate failed to ratify the treaty.