Henryk Floyar-Rajchman (December 7, 1893 – March 22, 1951) was a Polish statesman and a founding member 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 ...

for Research in the Modern History of Poland created in New York City in July 1943.

Early life

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 officia ...

, Floyar-Rajchman was educated in his hometown and in

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 ...

. From 1913 on he belonged to the

Riflemen's Association The Polish Riflemen's Association known as ''Związek Strzelecki'' (or more commonly, in the plural form as ''Związki Strzeleckie'') formed in great numbers prior to World War I. One of the better known associations called "Strzelec" (Riflemen's ...

, a Polish paramilitary structure in Galicia. After the outbreak of the World War in 1914, Floyar-Rajchman served in the Fifth Infantry Regiment of the Polish Legions. In 1917, when the Legions refused to swear allegiance to the Central Powers, he joined the secret Polish Military Organization. He served as captain in the Polish–Bolshevik War of 1919–1920 as a staff officer in the First Legion Infantry Division.

Interwar Period

In 1923 Floyar-Rajchman began education at the Higher War School in Warsaw, from which he obtained a diplomatic major rank. Between 1928 and 1931 he served as a military attaché in Japan, after which he became a representative in the Polish

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 ...

and served as the head of the Industrial Inspection Department. In 1933 he started working for the Ministry of Trade and Industry and advanced to serve as the minister between May 15, 1934, and October 12, 1935.

World War II

During the

September Campaign 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 after ...

of 1939, Floyar-Rajchman participated in the mission to evacuate the Polish gold reserve via Romania and return it to 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 ...

. He finalized his order on January 29, 1940, and was moved to the reserves on March 12. Soon afterward he moved, first to London and then to Brazil, where his wife was staying. He arrived in New York City on June 19, 1941, and was employed as an industrial consultant by the National Light & Metal Craft Company in the following year. In 1945, he was hired by the Union Parts Mfg. Company, Inc. Both companies were owned by Ignacy Nurkiewicz, with whom Floyar-Rajchman worked to establish the General Assembly of the National Committee of Americans of Polish Extraction (KNAPP) and the

. (Nurkiewicz would later become president of the institute.)

Postwar Years

Floyar-Rajchman served as vice-president of the Institute between 1947 and 1951, until his death from a heart attack on March 22 of that year. He is buried in the Calvary Cemetery II in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the same tomb as

Ignacy Matuszewski Ignacy Hugo Stanisław Matuszewski (born September 10, 1891, in Warsaw, died on August 3, 1946, in New York City) was a Polish politician, publicist, diplomat, Minister of Finance of the Second Polish Republic, colonel, infantry officer and int ...

Bibliography

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Biogram Henryka Floyara-Rajchmana na stronie Instytutu Józefa Piłsudskiego
{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyar-Rajchman, Henryk 1893 births 1951 deaths Politicians from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate Government ministers of Poland Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1935–1938) Polish Military Organisation members Polish emigrants to the United States Military personnel from Warsaw Individuals associated with the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America Polish Army officers Polish legionnaires (World War I) Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Independence Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Silver Cross of Merit (Poland) Polish military attachés Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)