the native inhabitants of the Zone. Pursuant to the principles of international law, they became non-citizen U.S. nationals unless they elected to retain their previous nationality. Children of non-citizen U.S. nationals generally acquired the status of their parents. However, for most nationality purposes, the Canal Zone was considered to be foreign territory and the status persons acquired at birth was governed by Sec. 1993 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (Act of February 10, 1855, 10 Stat. 604), which granted them statutory US citizenship at birth but only if their fathers were, at the time of the child's birth, U.S. citizens who had previously resided in the United States. In 1934 the law was amended to allow for citizenship to be acquired at birth through either parent if the parent was a U.S. citizen who had previously resided in the United States. In 1937 a new law (Act of August 4, 1937, 50 Stat. 558) was enacted to provide for US citizenship to persons born in the Canal Zone (since 1904) to a U.S. citizen parent without that parent needing to have been previously resident in the United States. The law is now codified under title 8, section 1403. It not only grants statutory and declaratory born citizenship to those born in the Canal Zone after February 26, 1904, of at least one US citizen parent, but also does so retroactively for all children born of at least one US citizen in the Canal Zone before the law's enactment. When John McCain, born in the Zone in 1936 to US parents, became 2008 Republican presidential nominee, there was minor debate over whether he met the presidency's "natural-born Citizen" requirement. The US Senate passed a non-binding resolution that he did. Notable people Leo Barker (born 1959) American football player, born in Colón, Panama Canal Zone. Earl Bell (born 1955) American Olympic pole vaulter, born in the Panama Canal Zone. Frederick C. Blesse (1921–2012), United States Air Force major general and flying ace, born in Colón, Panama Canal Zone. Rod Carew (born 1945) Panamanian former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, second baseman and coach who played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels, born in Gatún, Panama Canal Zone. Kenneth B. Clark (1914–2005), American psychologist who, as a married team, conducted research among children and were active in the Civil Rights Movement; he was