Maksymilian Węgrzynek (1892 – November 8, 1944) 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, ...

publisher (''Nowy Świat''),

social activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

as well as one of the founders 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 ...

and the

Polish American Congress The Polish American Congress (PAC) is an American umbrella organization of Polish-Americans and Polish-American organizations. Its members include individuals as well as fraternal, educational, veterans, religious, cultural, social, business, and ...

. He also served as president of the National Committee of Americans of Polish Extraction (KNAPP).

Early years

He created a division of the

Riflemen's Association The Polish Riflemen's Association, known as ''Związek Strzelecki'' (in the plural, ''Związki Strzeleckie''), was an organization formed in great numbers prior to World War I. One of the better known associations, ''Strzelec'' (Rifleman), was a ...

in Rudnik. On May 14, 1914, he arrived at New York City with 35 cents. Being an Austrian subject, he did not receive a permission to leave the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to join the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions () was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia (Central Europe), Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Trip ...

. He studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and finished City College in 1917. After

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 ...

, he worked for ''Telegram Codzienny'' as well as the

American Advertising Federation The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is the nation's oldest national advertising industry trade association. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAF has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region of the na ...

. In 1922, he became a publisher and in 1925 president of a house publishing the Polish-American newspaper ''Nowy Świat''.

Business Activity

In 1932, Węgrzynek started the New York-based Am-Pol Inc. Company that imported products from Poland. In 1936, his enterprise's annual trade traffic was 3.5 million, which ranked it high in the minds of New York's businessmen.

Social Activism

He was active in the Polish-American Community, collecting money for, among others, the Polish National Defense Fund. He was vice-president of the

Kościuszko Foundation The Kosciuszko Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City. It was created by Stephen Mizwa to fund programs that promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange. History The Polish American Scholarship Committee ...

. Following the outbreak of

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 ...

, he worked for the cause of defending Polish independence. He was one of the founders and the first president of the National Committee of Americans of Polish Extraction (KNAPP) (1942) and was also one of the founders of the

. In 1944, during the organizational assembly, he was elected vice-president of the

Political Views

Węgrzynek was a critic of the policies of General

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Before World War I, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independenc ...

and

Stanisław Mikołajczyk Stanisław Mikołajczyk (; 18 July 1901 – 13 December 1966) was a Polish politician. He was a prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile during World War II, and later Deputy Prime Minister in post-war Poland until 1947. Biography Bac ...

. He died on November 8, 1944, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Bibliography

Biogram Maksymiliana Węgrzynka na stronie Instytutu Józefa Piłsudskiego w Ameryce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wegrzynek, Maksymilian 1892 births 1944 deaths Polish independence activists Polish emigrants to the United States American publishers (people) Individuals associated with the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America