Damian Stanisław Wandycz (January 2, 1892 (Dobrzyń) – May 12, 1974) was a

Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Poles, Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing abou ...

émigré social and political activist, engineer, chemist, as well as a petroleum and natural gas industrialist. He served as a member of the municipal council of the Polish city of

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as well as Executive Director of the

Józef Piłsudski Institute of America The Józef Piłsudski Institute of America (full name: Józef Piłsudski Institute of America for Research in the Modern History of Poland) was created in New York City in July 1943. It is an archive, museum and research center devoted to the stud ...

in the years 1951–1956.

Biography

He studied at the polytechnics of Prague and Warsaw. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

fought with the I Brigade of the Polish Legions. In 1918 a member of the Polish diplomatic mission to

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. In 1923, Wandycz became the director of a Polish petroleum-exporting company. During World War II worked for 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 ...

. Sent to the United States with the mission of negotiating an American loan for Poland, remained in America. In 1965–1969, director of the

Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA) is a Polish-American scholarly institution headquartered in Manhattan (New York City), at 208 East 30th Street. History The Institute was founded during the height of World War II, in 1 ...

. In 1951–1956 executive director of the

. Also an organizer of the first Congress of American Scholars of Polish Extraction. Damian Stanisław Wandycz was survived by his son

Piotr Wandycz Piotr Stefan Wandycz (September 20, 1923 – July 29, 2017) was a Polish-American historian. He was also the President of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America, and professor emeritus at Yale University, specializing in Eastern a ...

, a Polish-American historian.

Orders

Wandycz received, among others, the Cross for Loyal Service to the I Brigade (''Krzyż za Wierną Służbę I Brygady''), the

Cross of Independence Cross of Independence ( pl, Krzyż Niepodległości) was second highest Polish military decorations between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three cl ...

(''Krzyż Niepodległości'') and the

Gold Cross of Merit The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

(''Złoty Krzyż Zasługi'').

Selected publications

* ''Technologia mydła w zarysie'', Kraków: S. A. Krzyżanowski 1919. * ''Uwagi o sytuacji ogólnej przemysłu naftowego : streszczenie referatu wygłoszonego na Posiedzeniu Komisji Międzyministerjalnej, w dniu 21 stycznia 1936 r. we Lwowie'', Lwów 1936. * L. Nauwelaerts, Nafta potęga ziemi, z upoważ. aut. przeł. Karol Zagajewski; rozdz. 16 pt.: ''Polska'' napisał Damian Wandycz, Lwów: "Książnica-Atlas" 1938. * ''Samowystarczalność naftowa : referat wygłoszony na 10 Zjeździe Naftowym we Lwowie, dn. 28 maja 1938 r.'', Lwów 1938. * ''Zapomniany list Piłsudskiego do Masaryka'', London: Instytut Józefa Piłsudskiego w Ameryce 1953. * (editor) ''Register of Polish American scholars, scientists, writers & artists'', ed. by Damian S. Wandycz, New York: The Pol. Inst. of Arts and Sciences in America 1969. * (editor) ''Studies in Polish civilization. Selected papers presented at the 1. Congress of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, November 25, 26, 27, 1966 in New York'', ed. by Damian S. Wandycz, New York: Institute on East Central Europe: Columbia Univ.; Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America 1971. * ''Polski Instytut Naukowy w Ameryce : w trzydziestą rocznicę 1942–1972'', Nowy Jork: Polski Instytut Naukowy 1974.

Bibliography

* ''Polski Instytut Naukowy w Ameryce : w trzydziestą rocznicę 1942–1972'', New York: Polski Instytut Naukowy 1974.

External links

*
Biogram Damiana Stanisława Wandycza na stronie Instytutu Józefa Piłsudskiego w Ameryce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wandycz, Damian Stanislaw 1892 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Polish engineers Polish chemists Polish military personnel of World War II Individuals associated with the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America 20th-century American engineers Polish emigrants to the United States