August Zaleski
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August Zaleski (1883-1972) was a Polish economist, politician and diplomat. Twice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, he served as the President of Poland within the Polish Government in Exile.
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[edit] Biography
August Zaleski was born September 13, 1883 in Warsaw. In 1901 he graduated from a gymnasium in Praga and became a librarian for the Krasiński family, but finally moved to London, where he received masters degree at the London School of Economics. Unable to return to Poland during the World War I, Zaleski started lecturing Polish language in London in 1917. About that time he also became interested in freemasonry and became one of the collaborators of the Polish National Committee, the institution that was to become the Polish representative with the Entente. As such, he was one of Roman Dmowski's envoys to assure English politicians, that the fact that Józef Piłsudski's Polish Legions had been siding with the Central Powers was aimed at Russia but not at the west.
In 1918, when Poland regained her independence, Zaleski proved to be a skilled diplomat and served at various posts in Polish embassies in Switzerland, Greece, Italy and was one of the Polish envoys to the League of Nations. After the May Coup d'Etat of 1926 he sided with the camp of Marshal Józef Piłsudski and, until 1933, held the post of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (in two subsequent governments). Between 1928 and 1935 he was also a member of the Senate of Poland. After the end of his term he retired from active politics and became the chairman of Bank Handlowy (Commercial Bank), one of the best-known Polish banks of the time. He held that post until the start of the Polish Defensive War, during which he successfully evacuated his company's assets to France and then the United Kingdom.
In exile he yet again became the minister of foreign affairs - this time in the government of Gen. Władysław Sikorski. In June of 1947 he was nominated to the post of the President of Poland in exile. Initially supported by much of the Polish diaspora (Polonia), he nominated Gen. Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski to the post of the Prime Minister. However, by the end of his 7 years term he was facing opposition and was at odds with much of the political elite. His answer was to extend his term and nominate Stanisław Cat-Mackiewicz for the prime minister. This was seen as unlawful by many (among them Bór-Komorowski and Władysław Anders), who decided to create the Council of the Three, a collective head of state that was to take over the role of the president of Poland until Zaleski properly resigned his post. However, in fact for almost 20 years both the Council and Zaleski held that post.
August Zaleski died April 7, 1972 in London. Among his papers two conflicting nominations for his successor were found: one naming Stanisław Ostrowski and the other one - possibly forged - mentioning Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki. The Council of the Three accepted the earlier and was disbanded.
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| Republic of Poland | Gabriel Narutowicz • Maciej Rataj (acting) • Stanisław Wojciechowski • Maciej Rataj (acting) • Ignacy Mościcki |
| Government in Exile | Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski • Władysław Raczkiewicz • August Zaleski • Council of Three • Stanisław Ostrowski • Edward Raczyński • Kazimierz Sabbat • Ryszard Kaczorowski |
| People's Republic of Poland | Bolesław Bierut • office superseded • Wojciech Jaruzelski |
| Republic of Poland | Wojciech Jaruzelski • Lech Wałęsa • Aleksander Kwaśniewski • Lech Kaczyński |
[edit] References
- Biography
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Polish Wikipedia article as of 1 November 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
- August Zaleski: Minister Spraw Zagranicznych RP 1926-1932 w Swietle Wspomnien i Dokumentow by Piotr Wandycz, reviewed by Anna M. Cienciala in Slavic Review, Vol. 40, No. 3 (Autumn, 1981), pp. 492-493
