Andrzej Kusionowicz Grodyński

Andrzej Kusionowicz Grodyński

Circuit Judge & President of Court of Appeal
Born Andrzej Kusionowicz
October 22, 1861
Gdów, Galicia, Poland
Died July 24, 1925 (aged 63)
Cieszyn, Silesia, Poland
Ethnicity Polish
Religion Roman Catholic
Children Bogusław, Stanisław

Andrzej Kusionowicz Grodyński (22 October 1861 – 24 July 1925), baptized as Andrzej Szymon Kusionowicz, was a Polish lawyer who worked as a Silesian circuit judge based in Cieszyn for much of his career. Kusionowicz was also the editor of Gwiazdka Cieszyńska from 1889 to 1890. An associate of Paweł Stalmach , who founded Gwiazdka Cieszyńska, he was also a friend of Józef Londzin with whom he shared the early vision of Cieszyn Silesia joining Galicia in a new Polish state independent of Austrian rule.

On 7 September 1906 Kusionowicz changed his surname to Grodyński and was later appointed President of the Silesian Court of Appeal in Katowice. Following World War I he represented the Polish High Court in Kraków for the legal transitioning of Silesia into the newly independent Poland.[1]

Early years

One of a large number of children of Sylwester and Anna (née Krężołek), Andrzej was born in Gdów, Galicia, Poland, where his father's "uncle", Ludwik Kusionowicz, was the parish priest.[2] He was raised in Western Galicia but following the death of his father on 4 July 1877, when Andrzej was only fifteen, his elder brother Józef, a notary in Milówka, became his legal guardian. After completing his schooling he attended universities in Kraków, Graz and Vienna, then moved to Cieszyn Silesia due to his keen interest in Polish affairs centred in that region.

In 1887 "Jędrzéj" became a member of the Faculty for Public Reading which was an important Polish cultural society that facilitated public access to reading materials[3] and political interest that had been furthered in his university studies was expressed through his editorship of Gwiazdka Cieszyńska, from 12 January 1889 to 7 June 1890. This culminated in a nationalistic call for Polish Catholics and Polish Protestants to work together in selecting and voting for candidates in the forthcoming elections for the Silesian Parliament.[4] Although the Sejm at the time was dominated by German representatives, this was a controversial plea given that the publisher of Gwiazdka Cieszyńska from 1889 was the Katolickie Towarzystwo Prasowe (Catholic Press Society). On 14 June 1890 fr Józef Londzin, in his first editorial on taking over from Kusionowicz, made no direct reference to this patriotic call by his predecessor but informed readers that he had been entrusted by the ‘Catholic hierarchy’ with the publication’s editorship before then making his own plea for the Polish nation and people of Silesia to guard against the forces of liberalism and Germanisation.[5]

First Polish Secondary School in Silesia

While Kusionowicz was the editor, Gwiazdka Cieszyńska had continued to espouse the ideals of Paweł Stalmach in advocating support of many social causes ranging from improving the welfare of the poor to progressing literacy and education levels, especially among the ethnic Poles in Silesia and Galicia. Andrzej also worked as secretary of the Cieszyn Education Society , of which Stalmach was the President, and completed his studies for a doctorate of law from Jagiellonian University on 14 July 1891.[6][7] That same year he participated with Jan Michejda , Ignacy Świeży , Hilary Filasiewicz , Antoni Dyboski, Adam Sikora , Szczepan Chrapek, Mieczysław Kopciński, Bolesław Rzepecki and Maryan Lanikiewicz in setting up the Cieszyn branch of Sokół (Falcon).[8]

Later years

After graduating as a Doctor of Law in 1891 Andrzej joined the law office of dr Jan Michejda, where in March 1893 he transferred to the judicial profession. This career progression followed the birth of his son, Bogusław Jan Sylwester, on 19 August 1892, but on 28 April 1894 tragedy struck in Andrzej's personal life when he lost his first wife Anna (Vesnicky Polášek by adoption) who at only thirty years of age died from tuberculosis.

On 3 June 1896 Andrzej married Alicja Matter,[9] the daughter of Alfons, a renowned builder, businessman and councillor in Cieszyn who was also a member of the Association of Silesian Catholics [10] and who also supported the opening of what was the first recognized "Polish School" in Cieszyn.[11] In 1897 Andrzej was appointed as a judge in Jabłonków where he moved with Alicja before relocating again in 1903 to take up the position of Head of Court in Strumień (where Oskar Zawisza became the local priest). In 1907 he transferred[12] to the District Court in Cieszyn, in which city he continued to reside even after his later appointment as President of the Court of Appeal in Katowice.

Cieszyn District Court

Following the establishment in 1918 of the National Council of The Duchy of Cieszyn after World War I, comprising representatives of Polish political groups that had arisen over the preceding fifty years (and including fr Józef Londzin, Jan Michejda, and Tadeusz Reger ), the 'Easements Commission' was set up with dr Andrzej Grodyński appointed as its Chairman. In addition to also carrying out his regular judicial duties, Andrzej participated in other significant meetings for the new Polish state and early in 1921 he was a member of the Polish delegation that entered into the first official talks with Czech representatives following the peace agreement reached in Paris on 20 November 1920.[13]

The early years of the Second Polish Republic placed onerous demands on Poland's judiciary which in turn reportedly[14] led to a high mortality rate amongst those who chose to keep working in the service of their country rather than retire. Andrzej died in 1925 and is buried at Cieszyn Municipal Cemetery, but outwith the impressive family tomb erected by his father-in-law Alfons Matter. The funeral procession reflected his local, regional and national standing, with fellow judges, six priests and representatives across all levels of society, including the military, led by his close friend fr Józef Londzin.[15][16]

Personal life

With registers at the church of Gdów missing for years from 1840 to 1857, the numbers of Andrzej's brothers and sisters are not known. Apart from Józef Adalbertus who was born in Dębno (15 March 1849), the births of Bronisława (17 June 1858 died after 4 days), Władysław Marcin (8 November 1859), Aleksander (11 January 1864 died after 1 day), Maria Aniela (11 January 1864 died after 7 days), Karolina Stanisława (8 January 1865), Stanisława Anna (10 June 1869), Józefa Rozalia (21 February 1872) and Wiktoria Ewa (21 December 1872 died after 1 day) are recorded in Gdów.

Resting Place of dr Andrzej Kusionowicz Grodyński and Alicja Matter Grodyńska

Andrzej's brother, Józef Kusionowicz (1849-1922), apparently changed his surname to Grodyński in 1893 and moved from Milówka to Niepołomice, near Kraków, while continuing to practise as a notary.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Married to Aniela Fedrerowicz (1857-1937), sister of Jan Kanty Federowicz , they had a number of children.[23] Jerzy Grodyński aided in the start-up of the Polish Scout Movement, dr Tadeusz Grodyński worked for the national bank and Jan Kanty Grodyński became a high-ranking officer in the military.

Władysław Kusionowicz Grodyński rose to the position of Chief Magistrate of Kraków and in 1908 was made an honorary member of 'Resursy Urzędniczej w Krakowie' (Kraków Administrators Association). From records of the period it appears Władysław also changed his surname from Kusionowicz to Grodyński in 1893.[24][25][26][27][28] Władysław and his wife Zofia had three daughters, Elżbieta, Janina and Irena, as well as a son, Edward, who completed a doctorate in law and worked as a notary in Czarny Dunajec.

The only son of Alicja and Andrzej, Stanisław Sylwester Alfonzy, was born on 4 November 1898 in Jabłonków (now in the Czech Republic). As with his father and half-brother Bogusław, church records show that Stanisław's surname was changed from Kusionowicz to Grodyński on 7 September 1906. Following military service, during which he was wounded, then law studies at universities in Kraków and Poznań, at the age of twenty-eight Stanisław reputedly became Poland's youngest Starost at the time.[29] After assignments in Kobryń (now in Belarus), Sarny, Świecie, Toruń, Stanisławów and Kałusz (now in the Ukraine) Stanisław was appointed Starost in Grudziądz prior to World War II and before his subsequent deportation with his wife and two young sons to a Soviet labour camp near Aldan in the Yakutsk region of Siberia.

Alicja died in Cieszyn in 1964, while still living in the house she had shared with Andrzej and Stanisław at Wyspiańskiego Street 7, and is buried alongside Andrzej in grave number XIV-63.

References

dr Andrzej Grodyński circa 1912
  1. ↑ Krzyżanowski 2011, 83.
  2. ↑ Radzikowski 1904, 115.
  3. ↑ Pamiętnik Czytelni Ludowéj w Cieszynie, 35.
  4. ↑ Gwiazdka Cieszyńska 1890, 43#23.
  5. ↑ Gwiazdka Cieszyńska 1890, 43#24.
  6. ↑ Dziennik Śląska Cieszyńskiego 1925, XXII#161, 3.
  7. ↑ Gwiazdka Cieszyńska 1925, 78#58, 3.
  8. ↑ Dziennik Cieszyński 1910, V#253.
  9. ↑ Gwiazdka Cieszyńska 1896, 49#24, 243.
  10. ↑ Poseł ZŚK 1891, 58.
  11. ↑ Irena French 2012, 60-63.
  12. ↑ Dziennik Cieszyński 1908, III#22, 3.
  13. ↑ Gwiazdka Cieszyńska 1921, 74#3, 3.
  14. ↑ Krzyżanowski 2011, 250.
  15. ↑ Dziennik Śląska Cieszyńskiego 1925, XXII#163, 2.
  16. ↑ Gwiazdka Cieszyńska 1925, 78#59, 2.
  17. ↑ Królestwa Galicyi I Lodomeryi - Lwów 1879, 112.
  18. ↑ Kalendarz Krakowski 1889, 184.
  19. ↑ Gazeta Lwowska 1893, 263#83, 8.
  20. ↑ Gazeta Lwowska 1893, 273#83, 11.
  21. ↑ Ksiega Adresowa w Galicyi - Lwow 1896, 5.
  22. ↑ Kalendarz Krakowski 1899, 173.
  23. ↑ Archiwum Państwowe W Krakowie 1900,DzIV,T7#78,79.
  24. ↑ Głos Narodu 1893, 29-11, 3.
  25. ↑ Kalendarz Krakowski 1894, 174.
  26. ↑ Kalendarz Krakowski 1895, 89.
  27. ↑ Nova Reforma 1922, 166, 2.
  28. ↑ Archiwum Państwowe W Krakowie 1890,DzIV,T18#684,685.
  29. ↑ Andrzej ST Grodyński 2012, 3-17.

Bibliography

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