Edward Bernard Raczyński

Infobox Officeholder
name = Count Edward Bernard Raczyński


imagesize =
small

caption =
order = President of the Republic of Poland
4^th President in Exile
term_start = April 8, 1979
term_end = April 8, 1986
vicepresident = Kazimierz Sabbat (as designated successor)
viceprimeminister =
deputy =
president =
primeminister = Kazimierz Sabbat
predecessor = Stanisław Ostrowski
successor = Kazimierz Sabbat
order2 = Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
2^nd Minister in Exile
term_start2 = August 22, 1941
term_end2 = July 14, 1943
vicepresident2 =
viceprimeminister2 =
deputy2 =
president2 = Władysław Raczkiewicz
primeminister2 = Władysław Sikorski, Stanisław Mikołajczyk
predecessor2 = August Zaleski
successor2 = Tadeusz Romer
birth_date = birth date|1891|7|19
birth_place = Zakopane, then Austro-Hungary, now Poland
death_date = death date and age|1993|7|30|1891|7|19
death_place = London, England
constituency =
party = None
spouse = Lady Joyous Markham (died)
Cecylia Jarosińska (died)
Aniela Lillop
profession = Politician, Diplomat, Writer
religion =


footnotes =

Edward Bernard Raczyński (July 19, 1891 – July 30, 1993) was a Polish aristocrat, diplomat, writer, politician and President of Poland in exile (between 1979 and 1986).

He was both longest living (102), and oldest Polish President (left office at 95).

Biography

Edward Bernard Maria hrabia Raczyński ("hrabia" stands for Count) was born July 19, 1891 in Zakopane, to a Polish aristocratic family as a son of Count Edward Aleksander Raczyński of Nałęcz Coat of Arms, and his spouse Róża née Countess Potocka. The Raczyńskis were related to the Austro-Hungarian house of Habsburgs. The full name was "Raczyński z Małyszyna", as they were a branch of the noble family "Nałęcz-Małyski" from Greater Poland (the area of the town of Wieluń) and about 1540 took their name from the estate of "Raczyn" near Wieluń. However, the Raczyńskis remained relatively unknown until the 18th century, when four of them became Senators of Poland under different reigns. One of the Raczyńskis became a Knight of the Order of the White Eagle during the reign of king August the Strong, six of them were awarded the Virtuti Militari order during the time of Duchy of Warsaw and three received the same distinction during the November Uprising of 1831. The title of Count was awarded to different branches of the family by Prussian Kings Friedrich Wilhelm III (in 1824) and Wilhelm II (in 1905). One of their kin was a Knight of the highest Prussian Order of the Black Eagle.

Raczyński spent most of his childhood in Kraków, in the family palace Pod Baranami and in the family manor in Rogalin in Greater Poland. He studied law at various universities in United Kingdom and Germany. He was also awarded with a doctorate of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. In 1919 Raczyński started working for the Polish diplomacy at various posts. Initially he was one of the creators of the Polish embassy in Switzerland, the first Polish permanent representation in that country. Until 1925 he was also working in Polish embassies in Copenhagen and London. Afterwards he was transferred to Warsaw, where he became the head of the department of international agreements. The same year Raczyński married Joyous née Markham, daughter of a British coal mining mogul. His wife died soon afterwards and on August 25, 1932 he married his second wife, Cecylia Maria née Jaroszyńska, by whom he had three daughters. Earlier the same year Raczyński was appointed Polish ambassador to the League of Nations and in 1934 he became the ambassador of the Republic of Poland in the United Kingdom. His cooperation with Józef Beck resulted in signing the Polish-British alliance in 1939. Following the Polish Defensive War Raczyński remained in London where he continued to serve as the ambassador of the Polish Government in Exile and one of its prominent members. Between July 22, 1941 and July 14, 1943 he was also the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Władysław Sikorski.

After 1945, when the government of the United Kingdom broke the pacts with Poland and withdrew support for the Polish government, Raczyński remained in London, where he acted as one of the most notable members of Polish diaspora there. He was active in various political and social organisations in exile, including the Fundusz Pomocy Krajowi ("Help for the Country Fund") which actively supported the democratic opposition in communist-controlled Poland. Between 1954 and 1972 he was one of the members of the Council of the Three, the collective presidential body of the Polish government in exile. He was also a member of the Committee for Polish Affairs and an advisor of various British governmental agencies and ministries.

In March 1979 Raczyński became President of Poland in exile. After serving the 7-year term he resigned from his post on April 8, 1986. He was the last Polish President-in-Exile who had held an important office during the era of the 2nd Republic: his successors, Kazimierz Sabbat and Ryszard Kaczorowski were in their twenties when WWII broke out. Shortly before his death, on December 18, 1991, Raczyński married, 100 years old, his third wife, Aniela Lilpop, thus legalizing a relation of many years. Edward Raczyński died July 30, 1993, in London as the last male descendant of his line. He is buried in the mausoleum of his family in Rogalin. In his testament, Count Raczyński bequeathed his family palace in Rogalin and his library to the Polish people. He was the longest living Head of State in Poland's history and one of the very few centenarians among European politicians of the 20th century.

Bibliography

Raczyński's Works
* Edward Raczyński, "The British-Polish Alliance, Its Origin and Meaning"; London 1948
* Edward Raczyński, "W sojuszniczym Londynie. Dziennik ambasadora Edwarda Raczyńskiego 1939–1945"; London 1960. ISBN 0-85065-287-1
* Omar Khayyám, "Rubayat". Polish translation by Edward Raczyński, London, 1960.
* Edward Raczyński, "Rogalin i jego mieszkańcy". London, 1969. ISBN 83-919577-0-5
* Edward Raczyński, "Pani Róża" (a Biography of his mother), London 1969. ISBN 83-901583-2-9
* Edward Raczyński, "Od Narcyza Kulikowskiego do Winstona Churchilla". London 1976
* Edward Raczyński, "Czas wielkich zmian". Paris 1990. ISBN 2-85316-064-5Family History
*Simon Konarski, "Armorial de la Noblesse Polonaise titrée", Paris 1958

ee also

* History of Poland
* Polish Government in Exile
* Edward Raczyński disambiguation page
* Edward Raczyński (1786-1845) Polish conservative politician, protector of arts, founder of the Raczynski Library in Poznań

External links

* [http://www.bkpan.poznan.pl/biblioteka/JW70/racz-il.htm Ex Libris of Edward Raczyński]
* [http://free.art.pl/rogalin Rogalin palace]