Evening star., 1946-10-03
|gnace Moseieki, Is,
Poles Ex-Presidenf,
Dies in Switzerland
by The Asseeiassd Press

1
GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. s.
Ienace Moscicki, 70, President Of
Poland from 1926 until the outbreak
of Warld War II, died In exile yes
terday at his farm in versoix after q
prolonged illness.
A native Of Russia, DR.. Moscicki
was q chemist until he went into pol
itics at the behest Of Marshal Joseph
Pilsudski, strong man Of Poland
after World War I.
In June, 1899, three months before
his country was invaded, he ex-
pressed determination to defend the
Dar1zig corridor against German ag-
gression. whatever the cost. II
Just five days before the German
invasion-he agreed to proposals by
President Roosevelt and said Poland
would welcome mediation by a third
power.
Fled to Romania.
The Nazis attacked, however, and
DR.. Moscicki fed into Romania,
where he protested to the world
against the destruction Of Poland's
open cities.
Romania interned him briefly, but
allowed him to leave for Paris after
he announced his resignation as
President Of the exiled Polish gov
ernment September 80.
He arrived in Freiburg, Switzer-
land, in December, 1889, and shortly
thereafter was placed under the care
of specialists for treatment of .
heart disease.
Deep devotion to Marshal Pill
sudski led DR.. Moscicki to give up
the quiet chemical research and un-
dertake two successive seven-year
terms rs President of Poland.
Elected for the term beginning
June 1, 1925, after q coup d'tat had
put power in the hands of Marshal
Pilsudski, the new Presidents in
auguration had to be postponed two
days because the Office was handed
to him as he was passing through
Warsaw en- route from The Hague
to Lwow and he had no full dress
clothes in his baggage.
Through the next seven years
there were frequent reports that he
longed to 60 back to his retorts and
test tubes. These were especially
numerous when constitutional
changes increased the authority of
the executive. But he accepted the
second term when the national as
sembly on May 8, 1888, reelected
him by 1872 to II.
His friendship with Marshal Pill
sudski dated back to the youth Of
each and DR.. Moscicki said he took
the presidency and kept the post
because Of his realization Of the DIFF
ficulties which his friend would have
to face If there was not complete
understanding between the marshal
and the chief executive, the latter
having power to appoint premiers,
dissolve the diet and issue DEGREES
having the force OF law while Par
lament is not in session.
Born a Subject Of Car.
President Moscicki was born q
subject of the Russian car on 4
farm at MierzanoW near. LWQw De-
cember I, 1867. He graduated from
the chemistry faculty of the Poly
technic School of Riga, now capital
Of Latvia, and then established
himself as q chemist in WaEsaHs.ssss
In common with other Polish
patriots, he engaged in political
activity and, like many another OF
them, was prosecuted by the czarist
police. He fed to England in 1892
and remained there until 1897.
Then the University of Friboure
called him to Switzerland, engaging
him as an assistant professor. He
went back to Poland in 1912 when
the Polytechnic School of Lwow
offered him its chair of chemistry.
In 1915 he established the Polish
Institute of Chemical Research in
Lwow.
DR.. Moscicki was known to the
scientific world for a number of in
venticns connected with electro
chemistry. especially for a method
Of manufacturing synthetic nitric
acid by means Of q highly charged
electric furnace. He also perfected
the Leyden jar and invented an
electric condenser which bears his
name and which was Of especial
service in the early days Of wire
less telegraphy.