Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska (16 May 1871

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 officia ...

– 19 February 1962 in Krakow) was a

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 ...

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

, and

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

. Her botanical research focused on the

plant taxonomy Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, identifies, describes, classifies, and names plants. It is one of the main branches of taxonomy (the science that finds, describes, classifies, and names living things). Plant taxonomy is closely allied ...

of ''

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants *Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional enti ...

'', ''

Tremandraceae Tremandraceae R.Br. ex DC. is the name of a defunct family of flowering plants. It contained three genera: ''Platytheca'', ''Tetratheca'', and '' Tremandra''. In 2006, a molecular phylogenetic study showed that Tremandraceae is embedded in Elae ...

'' and

marine algae Marine primary production is the chemical synthesis in the ocean of organic compounds from atmospheric or dissolved carbon dioxide. It principally occurs through the process of photosynthesis, which uses light as its source of energy, but it al ...

Biography

Gabriela Iwanowska was born on 16 May 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, the third daughter of Antoni Iwanowski, a government official, and Sybilla Rosenwerth who hailed from a family of landowners. However, her mother died when Gabriela was a young child, in 1874, and her father died only ten years later, leaving Gabriela and her sisters orphaned but well-off members of Warsaw's social elite. In 1889, Gabriela travelled to

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 ...

to begin her studies at the Faculty of Life Sciences at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

, graduating with her bachelor's degree in natural sciences in 1890. In 1891 she married Polish activist and sociologist

Zygmunt Balicki Zygmunt Balicki (30 December 1858 in Lublin – 12 September 1916 in Saint Petersburg) was a Polish sociologist, publicist and one of the first leading thinkers of the modern Polish nationalism in the late 19th century under the foreign Partitio ...

, however, according to Luksa, "Zygmunt Balicki made his decision for marriage due to external coercion — he ensured the wedding with Gabriela would give him the financial stability he needed so badly."

Researcher

In 1893, Gabriela Balicka completed her botany studies at the University of Geneva, obtaining her Ph.D. in natural sciences with the dissertation ''Contribution a l'étude anatomique et systématique du genre Iris et des genres voisins'', written under the direction of

Robert Chodat Robert Hippolyte Chodat (4 June 1865, Moutier – 28 April 1934) was a Swiss botanist and phycologist who was a professor and director of the botanical institute at the University of Geneva. He studied medicine and botany at Geneva, where he was l ...

. By doing so, she became one of the first Polish women to earn a university education. Remaining in Geneva after graduation, she went to work in a plant physiology laboratory. In 1896, the couple settled in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, where Gabriel continued her scientific activities under the guidance of the German botanist - Karl von Goebl. In 1898, she and her husband moved to Dębniki near

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

to care for Gabriela's orphaned niece, Janina Kossobudzka. During the years 1898–1906, Gabriela collaborated with the botany professor Emil Godlewski (senior), at

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

and published research in the field of

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

and

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

. 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 ...

, she remained in Warsaw becoming involved in the work of the

Polish Red Cross Polish Red Cross ( pl, Polski Czerwony Krzyż, abbr. PCK) is the Polish member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its 19th-century roots may be found in the Russian and Austrian Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwea ...

. By this time she was separated from her husband; he died in 1916.

Legislator

After the end of the war, Poland regained its independence and Balicka took up a political career. According to the national decree of 28 November 1918, women were granted active and passive voting rights if they were older than 21. Deciding to run for office, Balicka aimed to be elected to the country's primary legislative body. Balicka's name was recognizable among voters and she was elected as a deputy in the Legislative

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...

(1919-1922) and in the Sejm I (1922-1927), Sejm II (1928-1930) and Sejm III (1930-1935). She also became the leading activist of the National Women's Organization. In the Legislative Sejm, Balicka was mainly involved in the fight to lift restrictions on women's civil rights.

Last years

Balicka withdrew from politics after 1935. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

she lived in Górka Narodowa near Kraków. She died there 19 February 1962 and was buried in the historic

Rakowicki Cemetery Rakowicki Cemetery (English: ; pl, Cmentarz Rakowicki) is a historic necropolis and a cultural heritage monument located on 26 Rakowicka Street in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 ''Stare Miasto'' ...

, near the center of

Selected publications

* Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriela. ''Contribution à l'étude anatomique et systématique du genre Iris et des genres voisins'' . (dissertation) Impr. Aubert-Schuchardt, 1893. * Chodat, Robert, and Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska. ''Remarques sur la structure des Tremandracées''. Romet, 1893. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriele. "Die Morphologie des Thelygonum cynocrambe." ''Flora'' 83 (1897): 357-366. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. "Contribution à l'étude du sac embryonnaire chez certain Gamopetales." ''Flora'' 86 (1899): 47-71. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. ''Recherches sur la décomposition et la régénération des corps albuminoides dans les plantes''. 1903. * Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. ''Contribution à l'étude du rôle physiologique de l'acide phosphorique dans la nutrition des plantes''. 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriela 19th-century births 1962 deaths Scientists from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate National League (Poland) members Popular National Union politicians National Party (Poland) politicians Members of the Legislative Sejm of the Second Polish Republic Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1922–1927) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1928–1930) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935) University of Geneva alumni 19th-century Polish women scientists 20th-century Polish botanists Polish women botanists 19th-century Polish botanists 20th-century Polish women scientists 20th-century Polish women politicians Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery