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Aleksander SzczygloPolish politician
Date of Birth: 27.10.1963
Country:  Poland |
Content:
- Aleksander Szczygło: A Life Dedicated to Public Service (1963-2010)
- Career in Government
- Tragic Passing
Aleksander Szczygło: A Life Dedicated to Public Service (1963-2010)
Early Life and EducationAleksander Szczygło was born on August 22, 1963, in Gdańsk, Poland. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Gdańsk in 1990. In 1996, he completed a one-year course for public administration officials from Central and Eastern Europe, organized by Georgetown University and held at the University of Wisconsin. During this time, he also interned at the United States Congress.
Career in Government
Szczygło's political career began in 1990 when he became an assistant to Senator Lech Kaczyński in Gdańsk. He also worked in the legal department of the Solidarity trade union. His association with Kaczyński continued throughout his career, serving as a legislation specialist at the National Security Bureau headed by Kaczyński in 1991-1992. When Kaczyński became the head of the Supreme Audit Office in 1992, Szczygło was appointed as his cabinet chief until 1995.
In the years following, Szczygło served as an advisor to the Chief Inspector of the National Labour Inspectorate (1997) and as a director in the European Committee's Integration Office (1997-2000). In 2001, he was elected to the Sejm (Polish Parliament) as a member of the Law and Justice Party, a position he was re-elected to in 2005. As a parliamentarian, he focused on European integration issues.
Szczygło's political career reached new heights when he was appointed as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence on December 23, 2005. He held this position until August 2, 2006, when he was appointed as the Head of the President's Office, a role that required him to relinquish his parliamentary seat.
On February 7, 2007, Szczygło was appointed as Minister of Defence, replacing Radosław Sikorski. He served in this position until the government resigned on November 16, 2007. Despite his resignation, he was once again elected to the Sejm in the 2007 parliamentary elections. On January 15, 2009, he was appointed as the Head of the National Security Bureau.
Tragic Passing
On April 10, 2010, Szczygło tragically lost his life in the Smolensk air disaster, along with President Lech Kaczyński and other high-ranking Polish officials. His contributions to Polish public life and government will be forever remembered.
