Ignacy Jan Paderewski

Polish pianist and composer, statesman and politician.

In 1920/1921, together with his wife Helena, he supported 369 children and 27 adults, who were able to come safety to Seattle from Siberia, and later to Chicago. At that time, Józef Jakóbkiewicz was responsible for the children’s stay, but the healing support of the Polish pianist was significantly helpful in that dependent country.

In the last years of his life’s activities in 1935,after the death of Józef Piłsudski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski co-founded with General Władysław Sikorski the political agreement of activists of central parties, which was called Front Morges- intended to fight the unilateral dictatorship of Sanacja and managed by this state strategy. Front Morges wanted to democratic state of political life in the country, but also proposed Paderewski as the president of Poland.

On May 26 1939, although Ignacy Jan Paderewski had a heart attack just before his concert in New York, for which were sold 16000 tickets, right after start of the World War II he managed to become the chairman of the National Council of the Republic of Poland in the composition of Poles in exile in London. It was a replacement for the Polish Parliament in exile.

In the autumn of 1940, despite deteriorating health, he went to the USA once again to do more for Poland. He managed to obtain loans for arming the Polish Armed Forces in the West for the Sikorski government. And also during the World War II, Paderewski’s name was even written to the list of enemies of the Third Reich by German Nazis.