Question: Facts:   - known for: panama canal    - caption: philippe-jean panama canal bunau-varilla was influential in the construction of the    - death date: 1940      - birth date: july 26 , 1859    - name: philippe-jean bunau-varilla    - image size: 150px    - nationality: french    - image: bunau-varilla . jpg    - birth place: paris   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of philippe-jean bunau-varilla .
Answer:
philippe-jean bunau-varilla -lrb- -rrb- -lrb- 1859 -- 1940 -rrb- , commonly referred to as simply philippe bunau-varilla and monsignor brun varilla , was a french engineer and soldier .with the assistance of american lobbyist and lawyer william nelson cromwell , bunau-varilla greatly influenced the united states ' decision concerning the construction site for the famed panama canal .he also worked closely with united states president theodore roosevelt in the latter 's orchestration of the panamanian revolution .