Władysław Kowalski (26 August 1894 – 14 December 1958) was a Polish communist politician, writer and journalist who served as the Minister of Art and Culture and the

Sejm Marshal The Marshal of the Sejm (, ) is the speaker (chair) of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament. The office traces its origins to the 15th century. In modern Poland, the full title is Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (). ...

during the first postwar parliament

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

of the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...

(1947–1952) and, in his capacity as

, ''ex officio'', as the acting head of state (Acting President of the State National Council) for one day (4–5 February 1947). He was also a publisher and writer. Kowalski was also known by the pseudonyms ''Sałas'', ''Bartłomiej Zarychta'' and ''Stanisławski''.

Life

Władysław Kowalski was born in a small village of Paprotnia near

Rawa Mazowiecka Rawa Mazowiecka is a town in central Poland, with 16,090 inhabitants (2022). It lies in the Łódź Voivodeship and is the capital of the Rawa County. From 1562 the city hosted the ''Rawa Treasury'' for the Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Com ...

(then

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, now east-central Poland) as a son of farm worker. Because of his family poverty, he graduated just three school grades and later became an

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...

. During World War I he fought in the Imperial Russian Army and later in the Puławy Legion. From 1918 to 1939 in the Second Polish Republic he was an active writer and publisher. He was member of various peasants parties before he became a communist, including the

Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" Polish Peasant Party "Wyzwolenie" or Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" (Polish: ''Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe "Wyzwolenie"'', abbreviated as PSL Wyzwolenie) — ''Wyzwolenie'' is Polish for ''Liberation'', and many sources translate the pa ...

(since 1918), the Peasant's Independent Party (1925–1927), United People's Left "Samopomoc" (1927–1931), and People's Party (1944–1949 – various factions). He was also an active member of the

Communist Party of Poland The interwar Communist Party of Poland (, KPP) was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) and the ...

(since 1928) and

Polish Workers' Party The Polish Workers' Party (, PPR) was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) and merged with the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) in 1948 to form the Polish United W ...

(since 1942). Kowalski was a longtime member of party leaderships: * 1926–1927: Member of the Central Committee of the PIP * 1944–1945: Vice President of the SL "Wola" * 1945–1949: Member of the Supreme Council of the SL * 1948–1949: SL Leader * Since 1949: Member of the United People's Party leadership and, from 1949 to 1956 Chairman of the Committee During

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 was a member of the

Polish underground The Polish Underground State (, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Government of the Republic of Poland ...

resistance. He hid 50 Jews around Warsaw, for which he was recognized as

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

in 1995.

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

,
"Władysław Kowalski – his activity to save Jews' lives during the Holocaust."
Yad Vashem Righteous' website. After the War, he was a Minister of Culture (1945–1947) and member and Vice President of the

State National Council Krajowa Rada Narodowa in Polish language, Polish (translated as State National Council or Homeland National Council, abbreviated to KRN) was a parliament-like political body created during the later stages of World War II in Nazi Germany, German- ...

Works

Kowalski was an author of novels, articles and poems.

Novels

* ''The Peasants of Marchat'' (1930) * ''In Grzmiąca'' (1936) * ''The Mianowski family'' (1938)

Stories

* ''Far and Close'' (1948) * ''Rebellion in Stary Łęk'' (1951) * ''The Beast'' (1951) * ''Wine'' (1966)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kowalski, Wladyslaw 1894 births 1958 deaths People from Rawa County People from Piotrków Governorate Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" politicians Communist Party of Poland politicians Polish Workers' Party politicians People's Party (Poland) politicians United People's Party (Poland) politicians Presidents of Poland Marshals of the Sejm Members of the State National Council Members of the Polish Sejm 1947–1952 Members of the Polish Sejm 1952–1956 Polish male writers Polish military personnel in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I Puławy Legion personnel Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Polish Righteous Among the Nations Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery 20th-century Polish journalists Acting presidents of Poland Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland