Wacław Jędrzejewicz

Born in 1893. After completing his secondary education in Warsaw in 1912, he entered the Jagiellonian University. In 1913 he joined the Riflemen’s Association. He was co-organizer of the Polish Military Organization (1914-1915), and a member of its command. In 1915 he marched with the Warsaw battalion to join the Fifth Infantry regiment of the Legion. From November, 1918, he served as General Staff officer and in the 1920 war he was the officer in charge of the II Department of the General Staff of the Second Reserve Army under Gen. Sosnkowski. Jedrzejewicz took part in the Riga peace treaty negotiations in 1921. From 1925 to 1928, he was first the military attaché, then charge d’affaires of the Polish Republic in Tokyo. On his return to Poland, he became director of a department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1928-1933), Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (1933-34) and the Minister of Education (1934-1935). During the September, 1939 war, he was in charge of evacuating Treasury assets, which he successfully brought to France. In spite of strenuous efforts, he was not accepted in the new Polish army in France. From 1941 he lived in the United States. He was the prime mover in the founding of the Pilsudski Institute in New York and became is first director (1943-48). In 1948, Jedrzejewicz was offered a teaching position at Wellesley College (Russian language and literature) and moved to Ripon College in 1948. On his retirement in 1963 he returned to New York and devoted himself completely to the Institute, as director (1963-1964), as Secretary (1971), Vice President (1972-76) and President (1977-78). In 1992 the President of Poland promoted him to the rank of Brigadier General. He was the author of many books and historical publications. He died in 1993.

PARTNERZY
Ministerstwo Kultury
Biblioteka Narodowa
Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych
Konsulat RP w NY
Fundacja na rzecz Dziedzictwa Narodowego
PSFCU
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs