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Ryszard KaczorowskiPolish statesman
Date of Birth: 26.11.1919
Country:  Poland |
Content:
- Ryszard Kaczorowski: A Life of Service and Exile
- World War II and Imprisonment
- Military Service and Exile
- Political Career in Exile
- Last President of Poland in Exile
- Later Life
- Smolensk Air Disaster
Ryszard Kaczorowski: A Life of Service and Exile
Early Life and EducationBorn on November 26, 1919, in Białystok, Poland, Ryszard Kaczorowski was the son of Wacław Kaczorowski and Jadwiga Sawicka. He attended commercial school and became a scout instructor with the local branch of the Polish Scouting Association.
World War II and Imprisonment
After the Polish Defensive War of 1939, Kaczorowski recreated the clandestine scouting movement, "Szare Szeregi" (Grey Ranks), and led its underground activities in Białystok. In 1940, he was arrested by the NKVD and sentenced to death, later commuted to ten years in a labor camp in Kolyma.
Military Service and Exile
Following the signing of the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement in 1941, Kaczorowski was released and joined General Władysław Anders' army. After evacuating from the Soviet Union, he fought with the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division, participating in major battles of the 2nd Polish Corps, including the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Political Career in Exile
After the war, Kaczorowski remained in the United Kingdom as a political emigrant. Following his demobilization, he studied foreign trade and worked as an accountant in business until 1986. He was active in the Polish National Council, the parliament in exile, and served as Minister of Internal Affairs within the Polish government in exile from 1986.
Last President of Poland in Exile
Under the April Constitution of April 23, 1935, the President could appoint his successor in case of an emergency, and in January 1988, President Kazimierz Sabbat named Kaczorowski as his successor. After Sabbat's sudden death on July 19, 1989, Kaczorowski automatically succeeded him. He handed over presidential authority to Lech Wałęsa on December 22, 1990, in recognition of the legitimacy of the government in exile.
Later Life
In his later years, Kaczorowski resided in London. He and his wife, Karolina, had two daughters: Jadwiga Kaczorowska, mother of Zeno and Wanda Schulz, and Alicja Jankowska, mother of Ryszard, Marcin, and Krystyna Jankowska. Kaczorowski was an honorary citizen of nearly 30 cities in Poland, including Warsaw, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Kielce, Krakow, Opole, and his hometown Białystok.
Smolensk Air Disaster
On April 10, 2010, Kaczorowski was among the passengers of a Tu-154 aircraft bound for Katyn. The plane crashed on its approach to Smolensk-North airfield, killing all 96 passengers and eight crew members, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński.
