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August Zaleski (13 September 1883 – 7 April 1972) was a Polish economist,
freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, politician, and diplomat. Twice
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
of the
Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populo ...
, he served as
President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...
- in-exile.


Life and career

August Zaleski was born 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 officiall ...
on 13 September 1883. In 1901 he graduated from a gymnasium in
Praga Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter. History The historical Praga was a small settlement located ...
and became librarian to the
Krasiński family The House of Krasiński (plural: Krasińscy) is the surname of a Polish noble family. Krasińska is the feminine form. The name derives from the village of Krasne in Masovia. The family dates from the 14th century. Its members were landowner ...
, but later moved to London, where he graduated with a master's degree from the London School of Economics. He was unable to return to Poland during World War I and, in 1917, started giving lectures in
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 ...
in London. Around that time he also became interested in
freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and was one of the collaborators of the Polish National Committee, the institution which was to become the Polish representative to the
Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French '' entente'' meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as well a ...
. As such, he was one of
Roman Dmowski Roman Stanisław Dmowski (Polish: , 9 August 1864 – 2 January 1939) was a Poles, Polish politician, statesman, and co-founder and chief ideologue of the National Democracy (Poland), National Democracy (abbreviated "ND": in Polish, "''Endecja ...
's envoys to assure English politicians that
Józef Piłsudski ), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) , death_date = , death_place = Warsaw, Poland , constituency = , party = None (formerly PPS) , spouse = , children = Wa ...
's Polish Legions had sided with the
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...
in order to combat Russia, not the West. In 1918, when Poland regained her independence, Zaleski proved to be a skilled diplomat and served in various posts in Polish embassies in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, Greece, Italy and was one of the Polish envoys to the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. After the May Coup d'État of 1926 he sided with the camp of Marshal Józef Piłsudski and, until 1932, held the post of
minister of foreign affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
in two subsequent governments. In June 1932, Zaleski was attending a session of the League of Nations in Geneva when he found himself thrust in the middle of the crisis in Danzig as he learned that the destroyer ORP ''Wicher'' had been sent into the harbour of the Free City of Danzig (modern Gdańsk, Poland) without the permission of the Senate of the Free City. Although Zaleski had not been personally informed that the ''Wicher'' was going to Danzig, he put up an able defence of Poland in the League Assembly and Council. In talks with the Secretary-General Sir Eric Drummond, in exchange for an undertaking that Poland would not send the ''Wicher'' back to Danzig when the German battleship ''Schlesien'' was scheduled to visit, a confrontation that would potentially cause a German-Polish war, Zaleski wanted the League to pressure the Free City to resolve the ''port d'attache'' issue governing the right of the Polish Navy to use Danzig harbour and managed to obtain a resolution satisfactory to Poland. Zaleski's offer was taken and Drummond successfully pressured the Free City into settling the ''port d'attache'' issue in a manner favourable to Poland.  Between 1928 and 1935, Zaleski was a member of the Polish
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the ...
. At the end of his term, he retired from active politics and became chairman of
Bank Handlowy Bank Handlowy w Warszawie (BHW) or Citi Handlowy is a Polish bank based in Warsaw, established in 1870. It is one of the oldest banks in Poland and Europe. It is the 10th largest bank in Poland in terms of assets, and 18th in terms of number of out ...
(Commercial Bank), one of the best-known Polish banks of the time. He held that post until the
invasion of Poland (1939) The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...
, when he successfully evacuated his company's assets first to France and then the United Kingdom. In exile, August Zaleski again became minister of foreign affairs, this time in the government of General
Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Poles, Polish military and political leader. Prior to the First World War, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause for P ...
. In June 1947, Zaleski was named president of the
Polish government in exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
. Initially supported by much of the Polish
diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews afte ...
( Polonia), he named General
Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski Generał Tadeusz Komorowski (1 June 1895 – 24 August 1966), better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names: ''Bór'' – "The Forest") was a Polish military leader. He was appointed commander in chief a day bef ...
as prime minister. However, by the end of his seven-year term, Zaleski was facing opposition and was at odds with much of the political elite. His response was to extend his term and name Stanisław Cat-Mackiewicz as prime minister. Many Poles in exile (Bór-Komorowski and
Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyear ...
amongst them) considered this unlawful and created the Council of Three in response. It was a temporary
triumvirate A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...
which held the role of the president of Poland until Zaleski properly resigned his post. However in reality, for almost twenty years, the Council and Zaleski both claimed the position simultaneously.


Death and legacy

August Zaleski died in London on 7 April 1972. Among his papers two conflicting nominations for his successor were found: one naming Stanisław Ostrowski and the other one, perhaps forged, naming
Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki (born December 16, 1925, in Pinsk, d. August 17, 2009 in Colchester, England) was a Polish president and head of one of the two governments which claimed in 1972 to be the successor to the exiled Polish government that wa ...
. The Council of Three accepted the former and disbanded. In November 2022, the remains of Zaleski, Ostrowski, 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 st ...
, and were moved from the cemetery at
Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yo ...
in England to the mausoleum for emigree presidents at the
Temple of Divine Providence The Temple of Divine Providence ( pl, Świątynia Opatrzności Bożej) and Pantheon of Great Poles (in Polish, Panteon Wielkich Polaków, in southern Warsaw's Wilanów district, is a principal Roman Catholic church in Poland. The backstory of ...
in Warsaw. Zaleski's papers pertaining to his diplomatic work and Polish life during and after World War II are held in the collection of the
Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and ...
.


References


Footnotes


Sources

*
Biography


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaleski, August 1883 births 1972 deaths Writers from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate Sanacja politicians Presidents of Poland Government ministers of Poland Senators of the Second Polish Republic (1928–1930) Senators of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935) Ambassadors of Poland to Germany Ambassadors of Poland to Greece Ambassadors of Poland to Switzerland People of the Polish May Coup (pro-Piłsudski side) Polish Freemasons Polish economists 20th-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Polish anti-communists Alumni of the London School of Economics