Wincenty Hermanowski (born April 3, 1875 - November 19, 1947) was a Polish

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

and

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

from 1928 to 1932.

Biography

Born in 1875 in Radule near

Tykocin Tykocin (; ) is a small town in north-eastern Poland, with 2,010 inhabitants (2012), located on the Narew river, in Białystok County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is one of the oldest towns in the region, with its historic center designated a ...

, in 1895 he was exiled to

Vologda Vologda (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as ...

in 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 ...

for organizing illegal Polish youth groups in a Łomża grammar school. In Russia he completed his pharmaceutical studies and in 1912 he moved to

. He became involved in public life and in August 1915 in his apartment, the Society for the Aid of Polish Schools was established, thanks to which the first Polish primary school in the city was established in November 1915. On September 7, 1919, in the first local government election following the regaining of independence and the establishment 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 ...

, he was elected to the

Białystok City Council The Białystok City Council () is the governing body of the city of Białystok in Poland. The council has 28 elected members elected every five years in an election by city voters through a secret ballot. The election of city council and the loc ...

. Being a fierce opponent of the chairman of the city council Feliks Filipowicz, he resigned from the city council in 1925 and didn't take part in the 1927 local election. Yet, in 1928, following the resignation of Michał Ostrowski the city council chose him to be the next mayor. His tenure was overshadowed by difficulties, both financial and political. Hermanowski was unable to control his associates. Political divisions fueled by personal animosities increasingly paralyzed the work of the local government. His main opponent was the

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

of Białystok Voivodeship,

Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski (; 16 March 1892 – 12 April 1946) was a Polish politician, freemason and military officer who served as voivode of Białystok Voivodeship in 1930-1934, Mayor of Warsaw in 1934 and 27th Prime Minister of Poland fr ...

, appointed in July 1930. Another opponent was the government commissioner to the city,

Seweryn Nowakowski Seweryn Nowakowski (January 8, 1894 in Piotrków Trybunalski - died probably in 1940) was a Polish politician who served as the last Politics of Białystok, mayor of Białystok prior to the outbreak of the World War II. Biography He studied at th ...

, appointed in August 1931. Both Zyndram Kościałkowski and Nowakowski were associated with the pro-sanacja organization

Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government The Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government (, ; abbreviated ''BBWR'') was a "non-political" organization in the interwar Second Polish Republic, in 1928–35. It was closely affiliated with Józef Piłsudski and his Sanation moveme ...

, while Hermanowski was associated with the

Endecja National Democracy (, often abbreviated as ND or known as ''Endecja''; ) was a Polish political movement that operated from the second half of the 19th century, during the partitions of Poland, until the end of the Second Polish Republic. It e ...

camp. In 1932, at the midst of discussion and review of the city budget by the voivodeship office and the city hall, fierce disagreement over budget cuts resulted in the voivode dissolving the city council, effectively ousting Hermanowski from power. Hermanowswki retired from political life and returned to run his pharmacy, Pod Łabędziem at 24 Warszawska Street. As a person interested in education issues, he participated at the 1st National Congress of Representatives of Parental Associations, held in 1927 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 ...

and organized by the Union of Parental Associations in Poland. He expressed his position that the reform of the moral education of young people should begin with adults setting a good example. He also emphasized that it is necessary to become aware of the existing flaws in society, including unpunctuality, talkativeness, lack of dutifulness, or lack of civic courage. He was a member of the Union of Polish Cities, president of the Białystok Voivodeship Cities Circle in 1932. On July 21, 1945, he became a member of the

State National Council Krajowa Rada Narodowa in Polish language, Polish (translated as State National Council or Homeland National Council, abbreviated to KRN) was a parliament-like political body created during the later stages of World War II in Nazi Germany, German- ...

, remaining non-partisan. He was nominated by the Voivodeship National Council in Białystok, but was dismissed at its request on April 26, 1946. He died in November 1947 and was buried in the Farny Cemetery in the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermanowski, Wincenty Mayors of Białystok 1875 births 1947 deaths Polish pharmacists 20th-century Polish politicians Polish political people