Stanisław Ostrowski (29 October 1892 – 22 November 1982) 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 ...

politician, best known for serving as the last Polish Mayor of

Lwow Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, and was

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

- in-exile.

Life and career

Ostrowski was born in

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia in Eastern Europe. The Cr ...

. His father, Michał Ostrowski, had earlier fought in the pro-Polish

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

of 1863 for which he was sent to the Russian

katorga Katorga (, ; from medieval and modern ; and Ottoman Turkish: , ) was a system of penal labor in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union (see Katorga labor in the Soviet Union). Prisoners were sent to remote penal colonies in vast uninhabited a ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. Stanisław Ostrowski studied medicine at Lwow University. During the Polish-Ukrainian War ( battle of Lwów (1918)) and the Polish-Bolshevik War (1919–1920) Ostrowski participated as a physician with the Polish Army. Following these conflicts he became Vice Mayor, and later Mayor, of Lwow. He was also a three-term member of the

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' ...

from the BBWR Bloc. As a legislator he focused on health affairs as well as developing a reputation of being a defender of minorities' rights. After the

Soviet invasion of Poland (1939) The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

, he was arrested and imprisoned in Moscow (until 1941). Among his fellow prisoners was

Anandyn Amar Anandyn Amar (; 1886 – July 10, 1941) was the head of state of the Mongolian People's Republic from 1932 to 1936 and twice served as List of Prime Ministers of Mongolia, prime minister from 1928–1930 and again from 1936–1939. A widely resp ...

, former Prime Minister and President of

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. He was released from Soviet captivity on amnesty following the Sikorski–Mayski agreement as an officer of the Polish Army in the East by efforts of (commander-in-chief 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 ...

) in 1942. In 1944–1945 he participated in the anti-Nazi Germany Italian campaign as a physician of military hospitals. When World War II ended, he moved to England and became involved in the politics of the Polish community there, which included 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 ...

. Ostrowski was the third president of Poland in exile (1972–1979). He took office after death of President August Zaleski. To begin with he had to deal with a deep crisis within the emigre circles. Zaleski, despite earlier promises, declined to step down after seven years in office (1954), which caused formation of the Council of Three, an opposition body, recognized by a part of the emigres as a collective head of state. Ostrowski's selection was recognized by the council, which then dissolved itself. Because of that Ostrowski is credited for uniting Polish emigree circles. He also strongly refused to acknowledge annexation of the eastern areas of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

by the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

after World War II. As promised, President Ostrowski stepped down after a seven-years term in favor of Edward Bernard Raczyński. Ostrowski died in London and was buried in a Polish military cemetery in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

, along with August Zaleski and

Władysław Raczkiewicz Władysław Raczkiewicz (; 28 January 1885 – 6 June 1947) was a Polish politician, lawyer, diplomat and President of Poland-in-exile from 1939 until his death in 1947. Until 1945, he was the internationally recognized Polish head of state, ...

, other past Presidents in exile. In November 2022, the trio's remains were moved from the cemetery at Newark-on-Trent in England to the mausoleum for emigree presidents at the

Temple of Divine Providence The Temple of Divine Providence () and Pantheon of Great Poles (in Polish, Panteon Wielkich Polaków, in southern Warsaw's Wilanów district, is a principal Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic church in Poland. The backstory of its construction ...

in Warsaw. In 1987 a plaque dedicated to Ostrowski was unveiled in the

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Warsaw Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church is a parish church in Warsaw, Poland, located at Hozjusz Street 2 near Plac Wilsona. It is the most significant church in the Żoliborz district. It is dedicated to St. Stanislaus Kostka, a 16th-century Jesuit. ...

. Ostrowski died without children.

References

Biography from an official Presidential website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrowski, Stanislaw 1892 births 1982 deaths Politicians from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish Austro-Hungarians Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government politicians Camp of National Unity politicians Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1935–1938) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1938–1939) Mayors of Lviv Polish anti-communists 20th-century Polish physicians Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish deportees to Soviet Union Polish Gulag detainees Polish people imprisoned in the Soviet Union Polish military doctors Recipients of the commemorative badge Orlęta Presidents of Poland-in-exile

Life and career

See also

References