Seweryn Potocki of the Pilawa coat of arms (born 1762 in

Kuryłówka Kuryłówka is a village in Leżajsk County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Kuryłówka. It lies on the navigable San (river), San River, approximately north- ...

, died September 16, 1829) 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 ...

envoy and senator, later privy councilor, and member of the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative authority of China, headed by the Premier * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of S ...

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 ...

, curator of the

University of Kharkiv The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (), also known as Kharkiv National University or Karazin University, is a public university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1804 through the efforts of Vasily Karazin, becoming the second old ...

, Freemason, and a Knight of Malta since 1811. He was the son of

Józef Potocki Józef Potocki (; 1673 – 19 May 1751) was a Polish nobleman (szlachcic), magnate, Great Hetman of the Crown. Early life Potocki was born in Stanisławów in 1673. He was a son of Andrzej Potocki and Anna Rysińska. Career Józef was consid ...

, Starost of Leżajsk, and Anna Teresa née Ossolińska, brother of Jan, a writer and traveler, and father of Leon, a diplomat, as well as four daughters, including Wanda, a social and charitable activist. In 1786, he married Anna Teofila Sapieżanka, the daughter of Aleksander Michał Sapieha. He was a patriotic activist during the Great Sejm period, an envoy of the

Bracław Voivodeship The Bracław Voivodeship (; ; , ''Braclavśke vojevodstvo'') was a unit of administrative division of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Created in 1566 as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it was passed to the Crown of the Kingdom of Pola ...

to the Four-Year Sejm in 1788. He did not join the

Targowica Confederation The Targowica Confederation (, , ) was a confederation established by Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Petersburg, with the backing of the Russian Empress Catherine II. The confederation opposed the Constitution of 3 May ...

. He was a member of the plenipotentiary commission in Lviv, appointed in 1790 for negotiations with Leopold II Habsburg. He was a member of the Society of Friends of the Government Constitution. He founded the town of Sewerynówka (now Severynivka, Ukraine), and built its Catholic church. He moved to Russia, where he conducted fruitful educational activities, as the curator of the

Kharkiv University The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (), also known as Kharkiv National University or Karazin University, is a public university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1804 through the efforts of Vasily Karazin, becoming the second old ...

. In

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

, he built a neoclassical palace between 1805 and 1810, which still exists today on Sofijskaya Street and has housed the Museum of Fine Arts since 1899. In the 18th century, he was a member of the Masonic lodge Temple of Isis. He was awarded the Order of the White Eagle on July 5, 1791, and the

Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia. History The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Emperor ...

. In 1784, he became a Knight of the Order of Saint Stanislaus. He was a corresponding member of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potocki, Seweryn 1762 births 1829 deaths Members of the Great Sejm Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Polish Freemasons Potocki family Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)