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

Polish-American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

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 ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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) is a museum and research center devoted to the study of modern Polish history and named after the Polish in ...

in the years 1951–1956.

Biography

He studied at the polytechnics of Prague and Warsaw. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

fought with the

I Brigade of the Polish Legions Brigade I of the Polish Legions (, , ) was a unit of Austro-Hungarian Army, manned by Poles under Austrian occupation, part of the Polish Legions in World War I, existing from 1914 to 1917. History The First Brigade was formed on December 19, 1 ...

. In 1918 a member of the Polish diplomatic mission to

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. 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 (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...

. 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, on 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, 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 () was the second highest Polish military decoration 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 classes. History The Cr ...

(''Krzyż Niepodległości'') and the Gold Cross of Merit (''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