Josef Ježek (2 August 1884 – 10 May 1969) was a Czech General of Gendarmerie, Politician and the
Minister of the Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
in the government of the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...
during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Early life and education
Josef Ježek was born to František and Josefa Ježek in Žamberk, Austria-Hungary, a town currently located in the
Pardubice Region
Pardubice Region ( cs, Pardubický kraj; , ; pl, Kraj pardubicki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. His father, František, was an educator who founded the town school in
Senftenberg
Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.
Geography
Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...
. He completed his early education and some high school when he enrolled in cadet school in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. After graduation he was assigned to the 22nd Home Guard Infantry Regiment in
Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upp ...
. He ended his army service with the rank of lieutenant.
Police career
In 1909 Ježek joined the government police, where he served on the Provincial Gendarmerie Command No. 13 in Chernivtsi. The following year passed the professional exam and became commander of the gendarme department in Vyžnyjcy. A few months later he was appointed adjutant commander in Chernivtsi. In 1913 he was promoted to the rank of captain and two years later in 1915 he was transferred to the police headquarters in Vienna, where he was assigned as commander of the department in
Sankt Pölten
Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. St. Pölten ...
. In 1918, after the establishment of independent
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, he became the commander of the police department in
Jindřichův Hradec
Jindřichův Hradec (; german: Neuhaus) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative par ...
. In 1919 he was sent to
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
, where he became as adjutant provincial police commander. Several years later he was promoted to General Commander of the Police.
Political career
On 16 March 1939
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia the previous day. In July 1939 Prime Minister
Alois Eliáš
Alois Eliáš (29 September 1890 – 19 June 1942) was a Czech general and politician. He served as prime minister of the puppet government of the German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia from 27 April 1939 to 27 September 1941 but ...
appointed Ježek the Interior Minister of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia government. Soon after his appointment Ježek was summoned to Berlin where he was informed by Heinrich Himmler that Germany would do whatever was necessary to have the Czech people conform to the new regime. His sentiment often opposes the occupation officials and although he could not openly join the resistance, he supported it. In January 1942 Ježek was relieved of his duties as the Interior Minister for refusing to swear an oath of loyalty. After the war, in 1945 and again in 1947, Ježek was arrested for his activities for the Protectorate but was acquitted of the charges and set free. In 1954 the Communist regime tried him for espionage and treason and sentenced him 25 years. He was released early in 1960.
Personal life
In the 1910 Ježek married Olga Semak, a local noblewoman, daughter of Eugene Semak. In 1913 they had a daughter. Ježek died in Prague on 10 May 1969. He is buried in the
Olšany Cemetery
Olšany Cemeteries (''Olšanské hřbitovy'' in Czech, ''Wolschan'' in German) is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once laid out for as many as two million burials. The graveyard is particularly noted for its many remarkable art ...
in Prague.
See also
*
Jaroslav Eminger
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jezek, Josef
1884 births
1969 deaths
Czech politicians
Czech fascists
Czech people of World War II
People from Žamberk
National Partnership politicians