David Adamson Harper

"How Teddy Took Panama" is an historical novel about the original (1903) Panama Canal Treaty and the secession of Panama from the United States of Colombia that made it all possible. In a novel form it answers the questions that historians have only been able to postulate. 

My hero Jack Quinn works directly for President Teddy Roosevelt as a secret service agent and the secession of Panama from Colombia is managed by them. Along the way Jack falls in love with a beautiful Panamanian woman and must also work with an eccentric Frenchman who wants to achieve the same ends but purely for his own reasons. 

All the facts are accurate and it is an astonishing piece of little known history. Only Jack Quinn and his inamorata are fictional, all the others are real persons including the eccentric Frenchman.

David Adamson Harper Bio

David was born and educated in England. He graduated from HMS Worcester Naval College and ended up in Hong Kong sailing the China Seas as a young third mate and second mate.

On his first home leave with nothing better to do he applied for other jobs in the shipping industry and to his surprise he was accepted by the American company Grace Line as a management trainee. He worked his way up the ladder for many years with Grace Line in New York, Panama and San Francisco, where he became a US citizen in 1970. Later he worked for United States Lines in Panama, India and South Africa.

Wherever he went he was always heavily involved in sports, particularly rugby football, sailing and squash. He managed to persuade USL to send him to South Africa as Managing Director of USL (Africa) Pty Ltd., mainly so that he could pursue his rugby football refereeing at a higher level. A great weekend for him was a game of squash on Friday evening, refereeing a rugby match on Saturday afternoon and sailboat racing on Sunday.

As age caught up to him he retired and moved to Mexico and turned his interest to writing. He has had articles in a number of magazines and his first novel KWANGCHOW was published in 2011.

He has two sons from his first marriage, one of whom follows in his footsteps as a rugby referee. He continued his Mexican adventure when he met and married Susan shortly after moving here. They live together in Ajijic along with Bess the faithful hound.

You can learn more about David and purchase his books on his website.