Kazimierz Olesiak (born 22 February 1937, in Huta Drewniana) is a Polish politician,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

and

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 ...

. He was the

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Economy in

Mieczysław Rakowski Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski (; 1 December 1926 – 8 November 2008) was a Polish communist politician, historian and journalist who was Prime Minister of Poland from 1988 to 1989. He served as the seventh and final First Secretary of the Pol ...

's government (1988–1989), for half a year (1989–1990) he was president of the Supreme Executive Committee of the Polish People's Party "Odrodzenie".

Biography

He comes from a peasant family. In the years 1954–1956 he worked as a tutor in an orphanage in Chorzenice, he then graduated from the

Warsaw University of Life Sciences The Warsaw University of Life Sciences ( pl, Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego, lit=Main School of Rural Homestead, SGGW) is the largest agricultural university in Poland, established in 1816 in Warsaw. It employs over 2,600 staff including ...

in 1961. After graduation he worked briefly in the party of the Provincial Committee of the ZSL in Lodz (he joined this party in 1959), in 1962 he became a research worker at the

. In the years 1963–1967 he completed doctoral studies at the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

, and in 1974 he was habilitated in the field of agricultural and forestry sciences. In the mid-1970s, he worked as a FAO expert in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

; in addition, he held positions in the ZSL party and government (including advisor and director of the cabinet of the vice president of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, deputy head of the Presidential Department of the Supreme Committee of the ZSL). In the years 1982–1984 he was the

Undersecretary of State Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...

(Deputy Minister) in the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Eco ...

and from 1981 to 1985, he was the Secretary of the Council of Food Economy of the Council of Ministers. In 1985, he sat in the

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 took the post of chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Economy (until November 1988). In October 1988 he was appointed vice-president of the

, minister of agriculture, forestry and food economy, and chairman of the Council of Food Economy. He served these functions until the end of the Mieczysław F. Rakowski's cabinet on 1 August 1989. He was a representative of the government party in the team for economy and social policy during the round table discussions . He was one of the leading figures of the people's movement in the period of political transformation. From November 1989 to May 1990 he headed the Supreme Executive Committee of the

Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party ( pl, Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL) is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although it ...

(he was also a member of the Supreme Council), and from May 1990 he was a member of the Supreme Council of the new PSL. In the years 1994–1998 he was the president of

Bank BGŻ BNP Paribas A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

. In 2011 he became a member of the honorary committee for celebrating the 80th anniversary of the " Zielony Sztandar". He was awarded the

Golden 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 aw ...

, Knight's and Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

and badges.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olesiak, Kazimierz Deputy prime ministers of Poland 1937 births Living people Agriculture ministers Government ministers of Poland Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta People from Radomsko County Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland