Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska (16 May 1871 – 19 February 1962) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

and

legislator A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-nat ...

Biography

Gabriela Iwanowska was born on 16 May 1867, in

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 ...

, Poland, the third daughter of Antoni Iwanowski, a government official, and Sybilla Rosenwerth who hailed from a family of landowners. However, her mother died when Iwanowska was a young child, in 1874, and her father died only ten years later, leaving Iwanowska and her sisters orphaned but well-off members of Warsaw's social elite. In 1889, Iwanowska travelled to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to begin her studies at the Faculty of Life Sciences at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

, graduating with her bachelor's degree in natural sciences in 1890. In 1891 she married Polish activist and sociologist

Zygmunt Balicki Zygmunt Balicki (30 December 1858 in Lublin – 12 September 1916 in Saint Petersburg) was a Polish sociologist, publicist and one of the first leading thinkers of the modern Polish nationalism in the late 19th century under the foreign Partiti ...

, however, according to Luksa, "Zygmunt Balicki made his decision for marriage due to external coercion — he ensured the wedding with Gabriela would give him the financial stability he needed so badly."

Researcher

In 1893, Gabriela Balicka completed her botany studies at the University of Geneva, obtaining her Ph.D. in natural sciences with the dissertation ''Contribution a l'étude anatomique et systématique du genre Iris et des genres voisins'', written under the direction of

Robert Hippolyte Chodat Robert Hippolyte Chodat (4 June 1865, Moutier – 28 April 1934) was a Swiss botanist and phycologist who was a professor and director of the botanical institute at the University of Geneva. He studied medicine and botany at Geneva, where he was ...

. By doing so, she became one of the first Polish women to earn a university education. Her botanical research focused on the

plant taxonomy Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, identifies, describes, classifies, and names plants. It is one of the main branches of taxonomy (the science that finds, describes, classifies, and names living things). Plant taxonomy is closely allied ...

of ''

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

'', ''

Tremandraceae Tremandraceae Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773), R.Br. ex A. P. de Candolle, DC. is the Botanical name, name of a defunct Family (biology), family of flowering plants. It contained three genera: ''Platytheca'', ''Tetratheca'', and ''Tremandra''. ...

'' and

marine algae Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine current power * Marine debris * Marine energy * Marine habitats * M ...

. Remaining in Geneva after graduation, she went to work in a plant physiology laboratory. In 1896, the couple settled in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where Gabriel continued her scientific activities under the guidance of the German botanist – Karl von Goebl. In 1898, she and her husband moved to Dębniki near

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

to care for Gabriela's orphaned niece, Janina Kossobudzka. In the years 1898–1906, Balicka collaborated with the botany professor Emil Godlewski (senior), at

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

and published research in the field of

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

and

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she remained in Warsaw becoming involved in the work of the

Polish Red Cross Polish Red Cross (, abbr. PCK) is the Polish member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its 19th-century roots may be found in the Russian and Austrian Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. On regaining its ind ...

. By this time she was separated from her husband; he died in 1916.

Legislator

After the end of the war, Poland regained its independence and Balicka took up a political career. According to the national decree of 28 November 1918, women were granted active and passive voting rights if they were older than 21. Deciding to run for office, Balicka aimed to be elected to the country's primary legislative body. Balicka's name was recognizable among voters and she was elected as a deputy in the Legislative

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

(1919–1922) and in the Sejm I (1922–1927), Sejm II (1928–1930) and Sejm III (1930–1935). She also became the leading activist of the National Women's Organization. In the Legislative Sejm, Balicka was mainly involved in the fight to lift restrictions on women's civil rights.

Last years

Balicka withdrew from politics after 1935. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

she lived in Górka Narodowa near Kraków. She died there 19 February 1962 and was buried in the historic

Rakowicki Cemetery Rakowicki Cemetery (English: ; ) is a historic necropolis and a cultural heritage monument located on 26 Rakowicka Street in Kraków, Poland. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 ''Stare Miasto'' meaning "Old Town" – distinct from ...

, near the center of Kraków.

Selected publications

* Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriela. ''Contribution à l'étude anatomique et systématique du genre Iris et des genres voisins'' . (dissertation) Impr. Aubert-Schuchardt, 1893. * Chodat, Robert, and Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska. ''Remarques sur la structure des Tremandracées''. Romet, 1893. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriele. "Die Morphologie des Thelygonum cynocrambe." ''Flora'' 83 (1897): 357-366. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. "Contribution à l'étude du sac embryonnaire chez certain Gamopetales." ''Flora'' 86 (1899): 47-71. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. ''Recherches sur la décomposition et la régénération des corps albuminoides dans les plantes''. 1903. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. ''Contribution à l'étude du rôle physiologique de l'acide phosphorique dans la nutrition des plantes''. 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriela 1871 births 1962 deaths Scientists from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate National League (Poland) members Popular National Union politicians National Party (Poland) politicians Members of the Legislative Sejm of the Second Polish Republic Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1922–1927) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1928–1930) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935) University of Geneva alumni 19th-century Polish women scientists 20th-century Polish botanists Polish women botanists 19th-century Polish botanists 20th-century Polish women scientists 20th-century Polish women politicians Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery