Gabriel Narutowicz

Gabriel Narutowicz
Narutowicz in 1915
1st President of Poland
In office 11 December 1922 – 16 December 1922
Prime Minister	Julian Nowak
Preceded by	Józef Piłsudski (as Chief of State)
Succeeded by	Stanisław Wojciechowski Maciej Rataj (acting)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 28 June 1922 – 14 December 1922
Prime Minister	Artur Śliwiński Julian Nowak
Preceded by	Konstanty Skirmunt
Succeeded by	Aleksander Skrzyński
Minister of Public Works
In office 28 June 1920 – 6 June 1922
Prime Minister	Władysław Grabski Wincenty Witos Antoni Ponikowski
Preceded by	Andrzej Kędzior
Succeeded by	Władysław Ziemiński
Personal details
Born	Gabriel Józef Narutowicz (1865-03-29)29 March 1865 Telšiai, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
Died	16 December 1922(1922-12-16) (aged 57) Warsaw, Poland
Manner of death	Assassination
Political party	Independent (supported by the Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie")
Spouse	Ewa Krzyżanowska
Children	Stanisław, Anna
Education	ETH Zurich
Profession	Engineer Politician Statesman Diplomat

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Gabriel Józef Narutowicz (Polish: [ˈɡabrjɛl naruˈtɔvit͡ʂ]; 29 March 1865 – 16 December 1922) was a Polish professor of hydroelectric engineering and politician who served as the first president of Poland from 11 December 1922 until his assassination, five days after assuming office. He previously served as the minister of public works from 1920 to 1922 and briefly as the minister of foreign affairs in 1922. A non-partisan and an engineer by profession, Narutowicz was the first elected head of state following Poland's regained sovereignty from partitioning powers.

Born into a noble family with the strong patriotic sentiment, Narutowicz studied at the Saint Petersburg Imperial University before relocating to Zurich Polytechnic and completing his studies in Switzerland.^[1] An engineer by profession, he was a pioneer of electrification and his works were presented at exhibitions across Western Europe. Narutowicz also directed the construction of the first European hydroelectric power plants in Monthey, Mühleberg and Andelsbuch. In 1907, he was nominated a professor of hydroelectric and water engineering in Zurich, and was subsequently assigned to maintaining the Rhine. In September 1919, Narutowicz was invited by the Polish authorities to work on reconstruction projects in the aftermath of World War I. On 23 June 1920, Narutowicz became the minister of public works in Władysław Grabski’s government. Following his successful conduct of the Polish delegation at the Genoa Conference, on 28 June 1922 he became the minister of foreign affairs in Artur Śliwiński’s cabinet.

During the 1922 presidential election, Narutowicz was supported by a centre-left coalition of the Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie", Socialist Party, and Bloc of National Minorities, but was opposed by the conservative National Democrats. Ultranationalists and Catholic Integralists attacked him for his defence of the rights of Polish Jews. After five rounds of voting, Narutowicz defeated the National Democratic candidate, Maurycy Zamoyski, becoming the first President of Poland. After only five days in office, he was assassinated by a mentally disturbed artist, Eligiusz Niewiadomski, while viewing paintings at the Zachęta Art Gallery.^[2] His funeral, attended by almost 500,000 people, was simultaneously a manifestation of peace which diminished the power of the far-right movement in the upcoming years. Narutowicz was a non-practicing Catholic and an active Freemason; he participated in rituals throughout the whole country.