Erazm Józef Jerzmanowski h. Dołęga (2 June 1844 – 7 February 1909) was an industrialist, philanthropist and patron of art, soldier, who took part in the January Uprising of 1863-1865.

Biography

Born to Franciszek Jerzmanowski and Apolonia Kamila Kosowska, Erazm graduated from high school in Warsaw in 1862, and then began education at Polytechnic Institute in

Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was estimated at 47,4 ...

. With other students he joined the January Uprising in 1863. He fought under commands of general

Marian Langiewicz Marian Langiewicz, full name Marian Antoni Melchior Langiewicz (; 5 August 1827, Krotoszyn – 11 May 1887, Istanbul), was a Polish patriot notable as a military leader of the January Uprising in 1863. Biography He was born in the province of ...

. After the uprising failed, he was interned in the castle of

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on t ...

in Galicia. Jerzmanowski was set free and forced to go abroad. He went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

for emigration in 1864 and studied at the Polish School in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

. Later he moved to

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

to study at the School of Engineering and Artillery. In 1870 he participated in the Franco-Prussian War as an officer of the French Army. After the war he began working as an engineer. In 1873, a French company, which had been exploiting lighting-gas in America, sent him to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Shortly after going to the USA Jerzmanowski married Anna Koester. In 1879, he became a United States citizen. He worked on production of the

calcium carbide Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of Ca C2. Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide. The pure material is colorless, while pieces of te ...

, in the meantime patenting 17 inventions in the field of mining and investing money. In 1882 he was a co-founder of Equitable Gas Light Company in New York, as a vice-chairman and later chairman he led this company for 13 years. He was a founder of gas companies in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and owned gas factories in Indianapolis. His fortune grew fast, he became the richest Polish in the United States and one of the richest Americans. Being one of the most influential directors in gas industry he has been supporting financially other people of American Polonia. In 1889 pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

decorated him with Knight Commander of Order of St. Sylvester. In 1896 Jerzmanowski bought a palace in Galicia and settled in Prokocim, near Kraków, where he died in 1909.

Legacy

The palace that Jerzmanowski bought in 1896, currently better known as the Jerzmanowscy Palace, is located in Prokocim. The surrounding park – Anna and Erazm Jerzmanowski Park – was named after its owners.

Jerzmanowscy Award

In his last will, Jerzmanowski presented all his wealth to

Academy of Learning Academy of Learning ( pl, Akademia Umiejętności; AU) was a primary Polish scientific institution during the annexation of Poland established in 1871. It was founded in Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the ol ...

in Kraków. He ordered the Academy to establish the foundation and the award named after him and his wife. People distinguished with Jerzmanowscy Award had to be Polish Roman Catholics who had served Poland with their artistic, scientific or social activities. Payments are made from Jerzmanowski's funds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerzmanowski, Erazm American businesspeople Polish businesspeople Polish philanthropists January Uprising participants French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Knights of the Order of St. Sylvester Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery 1844 births 1909 deaths American people of Polish descent 19th-century American philanthropists