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Władysław Raczkiewicz | |
|---|---|
 Raczkiewicz in 1930 | |
| President of Poland | |
| In exile 30 September 1939 – 5 June 1947 | |
| Prime Minister | Władysław Sikorski Stanisław Mikołajczyk Tomasz Arciszewski |
| Preceded by | Ignacy Mościcki |
| Succeeded by | August Zaleski (in exile) Bolesław Bierut (in country) |
| 3rdMarshal of the Senate | |
| In office 9 December 1930 – 3 October 1935 | |
| President | Ignacy Mościcki |
| Prime Minister | Walery Sławek Aleksander Prystor Janusz Jędrzejewicz Leon Kozłowski Walery Sławek |
| Preceded by | Julian Szymański |
| Succeeded by | Aleksander Prystor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 January 1885 |
| Died | 6 June 1947(1947-06-06) (aged 62) Ruthin, Wales |
| Resting place | Polish Aviators' Plot,Newark-on-Trent Cemetery |
| Political party | None (as President) BBWR (earlier) |
| Spouse | Jadwiga Raczkiewicz |
Władysław Raczkiewicz (Polish pronunciation:[vwaˈdɨswafrat͡ʂˈkʲɛvit͡ʂ]; 28 January 1885 – 6 June 1947) was a Polish politician, lawyer, diplomat and President ofPoland-in-exile from 1939 until his death in 1947. Until 1945, he was the internationally recognized Polish head of state, and the Polish government-in-exile was recognized as the continuation of the Polish government of 1939.
Władysław Raczkiewicz was born inKutaisi, the second-largest city inGeorgia, at that time part of theRussian Empire to Polish parents Józef Raczkiewicz, a court judge, and Ludwika Łukaszewicz. He studied inSaint Petersburg where he joined the Polish Youth Organization. After graduating from theFaculty of Law at theUniversity of Dorpat he was employed as a lawyer inMinsk.
Upon the outbreak ofWorld War I he served in theRussian Imperial Army, but after theRussian Revolution he joined the vanguard for Polish independence. He was active in theUnion of Military Poles in Russia. Serving as the head of theSupreme Polish Military Committee [pl], he helped create thePolish I Corps in Russia. Later he served under future Marshal and chief-of-stateJózef Piłsudski, who createdthe Polish Legions that ultimately aided Poland in re-establishing its independence.
As a volunteer, he fought in thePolish–Soviet War between 1919 and 1920. At first, he supported theEndecja faction, later joined the Piłsudski-ledSanation camp. Raczkiewicz served as the Voivode of theNowogródek Voivodeship from 1921 to 1924; government delegate toWilno Land (1924–1925) and later as thevoivodeship's voivode (1926–1931). After the1930 Polish parliamentary election, he was appointed theSenate Marshal (1930–1935) and Voivode ofKraków Voivodeship in 1935, andPomeranian Voivodeship from 1936 to 1939.
When Poland was invaded byNazi Germany in 1939, he escaped toAngers, France, where thePolish government-in-exile was established. He lived in the nearbyChâteau de Pignerolle from 2 December 1939 until moving on 10 June 1940 to London, where he joined GeneralWładysław Sikorski andStanisław Mikołajczyk in the relocatedPolish government-in-exile. He was an opponent of theSikorski–Mayski agreement.
In February 1945,Joseph Stalin,Winston Churchill andFranklin D. Roosevelt held theYalta Conference. The future of Poland was one of the main topics that were deliberated upon. Stalin claimed that only a strong, pro-Soviet government in Poland would be able to guarantee the security of the Soviet Union. As a result of the conference, the Allies agreed to withdraw their recognition of the Polish government-in-exile, after the formation of a new government on Polish territory.
Raczkiewicz died in exile in 1947, in theWelsh town ofRuthin.[1] He was buried in the cemetery atNewark-on-Trent in England. In November 2022, the remains of Raczkiewicz,August Zaleski, andStanisław Ostrowski were reburied at the Mausoleum for emigree presidents at theTemple of Divine Providence in Warsaw.[2]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Polish Republic in exile 1939–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Polish Head of State (Recognized by theAllies) 1939–1945 | Succeeded by Bolesław Bierut (Chairman of the People's Council in Poland) |
| Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Republic of Poland (1918–1939) | ||
| Polish government-in-exile (1939–1990) | ||
| Polish People's Republic (1944–1989) | ||
| Republic of Poland (1990–present) | ||
Acting presidents are denoted by italics. •List of Polish monarchs •First Lady of Poland | ||
