page_title: Adam Koc
section_title: 1935
hierarchical_section_title: Adam Koc / Political career (1927-1938) / Vice-minister of Treasury (1930-1935) / 1935
caption_attribution_description: English: Polish treasure vice-minister Adam Koc on ship m/s "Pilsudski".
context_page_description: Adam Ignacy Koc was a Polish politician, MP, soldier, journalist and Freemason. Koc, who had several noms de guerre, fought in Polish units in World War One and in the Polish-Soviet War.
  In his youth, he was a member of the Revolutionary Association of the Nation's Youth, the Union of Active Struggle and the Riflemen's Association. He then became a commandant of the Polish Military Organisation, first in the Warsaw district, and then its Commandant-in-Chief. Adam Koc was one of the officers of the Polish Legions and a member of so-called Convent of Organisation A.
  In the Second Polish Republic, Adam Koc joined the Polish Armed Forces, in December 1919, where he was given command of the 201 Infantry Regiment of Warsaw's Defense, which later became a Volunteer Division. Afterwards, he served in the Ministry of Military Affairs, in different positions. A participant in the May Coup, he was promoted in 1926 to be chief of the Command of VI District of Corps in Lwów, a position he held until 1928.
  Considered a member of Piłsudski's colonels group, he was elected to the Sejm three times and once to the Senate. He was also multiple times in office, mostly in financial positions.
context_section_description: 1935 was a turning point for Poland. On 12 May 1935, Piłsudski died. To commemorate his death, Koc entered the Main Committee of Józef Piłsudski Commemoration. The place of the General Inspector of the Armed Forces (GISZ) became vacant (no longer occupied by Piłsudski), several candidates were proposed. Koc preferred Kazimierz Sosnkowski, but Mościcki chose Edward Śmigły-Rydz, a person who he thought was absent-minded, especially when compared to Sosnkowski. After the nomination Koc united with Walery Sławek, expecting him to take up power in the havoc caused by Piłsudski's death. Sławek, however, was unable to convince Mościcki to step down, despite evidence that Piłsudski had informally nominated him as his successor, and eventually Sławek was ostracized from the Polish political scene. This deepened the decomposition of the piłsudskiite parties. Koc had to change his orientation, accepting the increasing importance of Edward Rydz-Śmigły. With Bogusław Miedziński and Wojciech Stpiczyński, he co-created the so-called GISZ group, attempting to counterbalance the increasing influence of another informal group - grupa zamkowa (the castle group, named after the residence of Mościcki - the Royal Castle in Warsaw), headed by Mościcki and his protégé - Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski. At the same time, he and Ignacy Matuszewski were considered as the rightmost politicians from the Piłsudski's colonels group.
  Legislative elections were due in September 1935. This was a smaller problem, as Koc was reelected for the second time, with an overwhelming 67,408 votes.
  In mid-September 1935, he went to one of his last foreign trips as Vice-Minister in the US. His purpose was to gain a missionary loan (i.e. a loan from another country to introduce more money mass into the economy). Arriving in the US, Koc met with Polonia representatives and with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Later, Koc visited the New York Stock Exchange and some representatives from economic circles. Despite that, the main goal of the visit was not achieved.
  When Koc returned to Poland, Walery Sławek's government was dissolved by Mościcki on 12 October 1935. The next day, Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski was nominated as Minister of Treasury and deputy PM. Kwiatkowski was known as an autarkist, while Koc belonged to the classical school, and the two could not coexist. Mościcki declined Śmigły's proposal to install Koc as Prime Minister. Koc resigned in December. with a warm farewell from Kwiatkowski.
caption: Koc (center) on the return from his visit to USA, aboard on MS Piłsudski
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