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 * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

biologist and academic who was the first President of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, 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 distinguished scholars a ...

Biography

Dembowski was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

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 ...

and studied in the

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

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 (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

. He was a professor at the Vilnius University and after the Soviet annexation of Lithuania he became a lecturer at the University of Marxism-Leninism 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 ' ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

(1952–1956),

marshal of the Sejm The Marshal of the Sejm (, ) is the speaker (chair) of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament. The office traces its origins to the 15th century. In modern Poland, the full title is Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (). ...

(1952–1957) and

Deputy Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, 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 The Council of State of the Polish People's Republic, Republic of Poland () was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of executive (government), executive power. The Council of State consisted of the President of Poland, Presid ...

(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 Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

. In 1951–1953 chairman of the State Awards Committee, in 1952–1956 deputy chairman of the National Committee of the National Front. On 6 March 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 Lysenkoism ( ; ) was a political campaign led by the Soviet biologist Trofim Lysenko against genetics and science-based agriculture in the mid-20th century, rejecting natural selection in favour of a form of Lamarckism, as well as expanding upon ...

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 (, ) 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 alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

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

USSR Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (u ...

(honorary member), the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( , MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primar ...

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

, he received a state funeral and was buried at the

Powązki Military Cemetery Powązki Military Cemetery (; ) is an old military cemetery located in the Żoliborz district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquially as "Old Powązki". The Old Pową ...

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 Polish biologists University of Vienna alumni Saint Petersburg State University alumni Academic staff of the University of Łódź Academic staff of the University of Warsaw Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery {{Poland-scientist-stub