Edward Franciszek Szczepanik (; 22 August 1915 – 11 October 2005) was a Polish economist and the last

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the

Polish Government in Exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovere ...

Biography

Szczepanik was born on 21 August 1915 (his birth was registered with the birth date of 22 August 1915) in

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

, a small town in northern Poland, while the country was part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation.

Early life

Szczepanik lived in Kościuszko street, he went to the local grammar school and then studied at the

Warsaw School of Economics SGH Warsaw School of Economics (, ''SGH''Edward Lipiński in 1936. During his compulsory military service he was stationed at the Artillery Officers' School with the 29th Light Artillery Regiment. He won a scholarship to study at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, studying under Professors

Lionel Robbins Lionel Charles Robbins, Baron Robbins, (22 November 1898 – 15 May 1984) was a British economist, and prominent member of the economics department at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is known for his leadership at LSE, his proposed de ...

Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (8 May 1899 – 23 March 1992) was an Austrian-born British academic and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobe ...

and Paul Narcyz Rosenstein-Rodan. On his return he became an assistant in Lipiński's department in SGH. After the interruption of the war, he completed his education with an MSc in economics from the LSE in 1953 and also a PhD in economics in 1956.

World War II

During the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, Szczepanik was interned in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and later captured by the Soviet forces. From 1940 until 1942, he was held prisoner in the Soviet

Gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...

camps in Kozielsk and

Kola Peninsula The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...

. Following the outbreak of the Russo-German War and the signing of the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement, he was released and joined the

Polish II Corps The 2nd Polish Corps (), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought with distinction in the Italian Ca ...

under general

Władysław Anders Władysław Albert Anders (11 August 1892 – 12 May 1970) was a Polish military officer and politician, and prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile in London. Born in Krośniewice-Błonie, then part of the Russian Empire, he serv ...

. As an Officer (and eventually Major) in the Polish Army, he served with distinction in the Fifth Polish Artillery Regiment – notably in the battles of

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, and

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. He was one of the first Allied troops to enter

. In 1945 he received the Cross of the Valorous, and the following year was awarded the Silver

Cross of Merit with Swords The Cross of Merit with Swords () is a Polish military award established October 19, 1942, by the Polish Government in Exile. Criteria The Cross of Merit with Swords is awarded for deeds of bravery and valor during time of war not connected with ...

. In addition, Szczepanik was awarded the Italian Cross of Military Merit by the

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

and several other Polish and British campaign medals. He also served as a liaison officer with the Royal Artillery Training Team, commanded by Colonel R.R. Hoare.

Marriage and children

Edward Szczepanik married Hanna Maria Janikowska on 29 June 1946 in Rome. They had four children, Barbara, Tadeusz, Zofia and Tomasz, all of whom were born in London.

Economics career

Szczepanik's career as an economist encompassed many educational institutions, including: *assistant lecturer –

Warsaw School of Economics SGH Warsaw School of Economics (, ''SGH''University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...

(1953–1961) *advisor –

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Advisory Team,

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, Pakistan (1961–1963) *senior research fellow –

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, England (1978–1981) *professor of economics –

Polish University Abroad The Polish University Abroad, or Polish University in Exile (, abbreviated PUNO), was initially established in London in 1949 (de facto 1952). The Polish University Abroad has a B.A. programme and does research. It has outposts in Paris, France ...

, London (Polski Uniwersytet na Obczyznie – PUNO) 1981. In addition, Szczepanik also performed consulting for the following: *

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

(UNHCR), Hong Kong (1954) * United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (UN-ECAFE),

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

(1956) *

International Coffee Organization The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was set up in 1963 in London under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) due to the economic importance of coffee. It administers the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) which is an important instrum ...

(ICO), London (1975) Szczepanik also worked with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

) of the UN – first as a consultant in Hong Kong from 1954 to 1955; and later as Senior Economist in Rome, Italy from 1963 until 1977.

Polish politics

Szczepanik was the founder and chairman of the ''Polish Institute for Research into National Affairs'' (Instytut Badań Zagadnień Krajowych) in London during 1951 to 1953 and 1983 to 1986. While in Rome, Italy from 1963 to 1977, he was also the Polish representative to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

– one of only three states that still continued its relations with the

. He was a director of the ''Council for Understanding Research on Poles Living Abroad'' (Rada Porozumiewawcza Badań nad Polonią), and was President of the ''Polish Society of Arts and Sciences Abroad'' (Polskie Towarzystwo Naukowe na Obczyźnie – PTNO) in London. In 1981, he also became the Minister of Home Affairs of the Polish Government in Exile. On 7 April 1986 he was chosen the successor of

Kazimierz Sabbat Kazimierz Aleksander Sabbat (27 February 1913 – 19 July 1989), was President of Poland-Polish government-in-exile, in-exile from 8 April 1986 until his death, 19 July 1989, after serving (from 1976) as Prime Minister of the Polish governm ...

to be the next

of that government. After Sabbat's death, his successor as the president of Poland in exile,

Ryszard Kaczorowski Ryszard Kaczorowski, GCMG (; 26 November 1919 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish statesman. From 1989 to 1990, he served as the last President of Poland- in-exile. He succeeded Kazimierz Sabbat, and resigned his post following Poland's regain ...

, asked him to continue with his mission, which ended in 1990. This is when Szczepanik's cabinet advised their last President in Exile to accept the invitation of Poland's Speaker of the Senate to transfer the Flag and other Office pre-war Insignia to

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, as the "President of the Republic elected by Polish people in free general elections".

Polish honours

Szczepanik was honoured to be named a Knight of the Order of

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, ...

by the

in 1981. In 1982 he obtained the freedom of his native town

as its honorary citizen. The President of the Republic of Poland in London awarded him with a Commander's Star in 1985, to which a Grand Sash was added in 1989. He was awarded the title of Doctor of Economic Science –

Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

in 1995 by the

Warsaw School of Economics SGH Warsaw School of Economics (, ''SGH''Powiat of Suwałki the Medal for Merits to the Powiat of Suwałki; and from Poland's Minister of Culture, the Medal for Merits to Polish Culture. Szczepanik died on 11 October 2005 in Worcestershire. His ashes were buried with military honours in his home town of Suwałki following a

requiem mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

at St Alexander's Church.Polish Białystok Regional government report on funeral (automatic translation)
/ref>

Szczepanik cabinets

Works

* ''Zagadnienia neutralnego pieniądza''. (Warsaw, 1938
SGH
* ''Factors determining the mark of interest''. (MSc (Econ.) (London) thesis LSE, 1953) * ''Zarys polityki dobrobytu gospodarczego''. (London, 1953) * ''A study in the economic problems of central & eastern Europe''. Lectures. (London, 1954) * co-author MA, Ronald A., ''The National Income of Hong Kong, 1947–1950''. (Hong Kong University Press: Hong Kong, 1955) * ''The Cost of Living in Hong Kong''. (Hong Kong University Press: Hong Kong, 1956) * ''The Economic Growth of Hong Kong'' (with special reference to the post-war industrialisation). (University of London / Oxford University Press: London, 1958) cf.
Britannica
* Editor, ''The Economic Role of Middlemen and Co-operatives in Indo-Pacific Fisheries''. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1960) * Editor, ''Economic and social problems of the Far East : Symposium : Golden jubilee congress : Papers and discussions''. (Hong Kong University Press, 1962) * ''National accounting as a tool of economic planning''. (Lectures). (Mouton & Co.: The Hague, 1965) * ''Agricultural policies at different levels of development''. (Rome, 1976) * ''Kształtowanie się poglądów polskiego ruchu oporu na politykę gospodarczą''. (London, 1979
SGH
* co-author Duchêne, François, ''New limits on European agriculture : politics and the Common Agricultural Policy''. (Totowa: Rowman & Allanheld / Croom Helm, London, 1985.) (US) / (UK) cf
Duchêne
* Editor, ''Napaść sowiecka i okupacja polskich ziem wschodnich, wrzesień 1939''. (Polskie Towarzystwo Naukowe na Obczyźnie, Polska Fundacja Kulturalna, London, 1985) / (Warsaw : Międzyzakładowa Struktura "Solidarności" V, 1985) * Editor, ''Kongres Kultury Polskiej Ojczyzna w sercach : pokłosie kongresowe : prace Kongresu Kultury Polskiej : tom 1'' (Polskie Towarzystwo Naukowe na Obczyżnie, London, 1986) * Editor, ''The Polish Cultural And Scientific Heritage at the Dawn of the Third Millennium'' (Polish Society of Arts and Sciences Abroad, 240 King Street, London, W6 ORF, 2003)

Notes

External links

Leszek Balcerowicz Leszek Henryk Balcerowicz (pronounced ; born 19 January 1947) is a Polish economist, statesman, and Professor at Warsaw School of Economics. He served as Chairman of the National Bank of Poland (2001–2007) and twice as Deputy Prime Minister of ...

.
Daily Telegraph Obituary, 17/10/2005

*

* ttps://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://www.1lo.suwalki.pl/szczep.php Biography on Polish website of Suwałki grammar school (automatic translation) *
Biography on Polish website of Suwałki City Hall (automatic translation)
*

* ttps://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://www.sgh.waw.pl/ogolnouczelniane/100lat/Sylwetki/lipinski/view?searchterm=szczepanik Lipiński's department in SGH (automatic translation)*
Note on Szczepanik's doctorate honoris causa in his Alma Mater's website (automatic translation)