Jan Bohdan Dembowski (26 December 1889 – 22 September 1963) was a

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

biologist and academic who was the first President of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

Biography

Dembowski was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia and studied in the

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

universities. From 1919 to 1934 a researcher at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. From 1920 to 1930 a professor at the Free Polish University and from 1922 to 1934 he was an associate professor at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

. He was a professor at the Vilnius University and after the Soviet annexation of Lithuania he became a lecturer at the Marxism-Leninism University in Vilnius. In years 1929–1939 he was the editor-in-chief of popular-science journal ''

Wszechświat ''Wszechświat'' ("The Universe") is a Polish popular-science magazine, currently issued as quarterly by Polish Copernicus Society of Naturalists, supported by AGH University of Science and Technology and Polish Academy of Learning. History ''Ws ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he became involved in the Polish Union of Patriots. He became the first president of the

(1952–1956), marshal of the Sejm (1952–1957) and

Deputy Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Polish Council of State (1952–1957). In the years 1948–1952 chairman of the Polish Committee of the Defenders of Peace. In November 1949 he became a member of the National Committee for the Celebration of the 70th anniversary of the birth of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

. In 1951–1953 chairman of the State Awards Committee, in 1952–1956 deputy chairman of the National Committee of the National Front. On March 6, 1953, he joined the National Committee to Commemorate Joseph Stalin. Dembowski was a member of the Circle of Marxist Naturalists and was a leading figure for the promotion of Lysenkoism in Poland. He was awarded the Order of the Builders of Polish People's Republic and also received the Commander's Cross with Star of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

. In 1949 and 1955 state winner of the first degree, a member of the Academy of Sciences and foreign - USSR Academy of Sciences (honorary member), the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...

, Academy of Sciences in New York. Jan Dembowski died, aged 73, in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, he received a state funeral and was buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery.

References

1889 births 1963 deaths Polish biologists Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Scientists from Warsaw Members of the Polish Sejm 1952–1956 Presidents of the Polish Academy of Sciences Marshals of the Sejm 20th-century biologists

References

{{Poland-scientist-stub University of Vienna alumni Saint Petersburg State University alumni University of Łódź faculty University of Warsaw faculty Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery