Edward Szczepanik

Edward Szczepanik
Szczepanik in 1986.
Prime Minister of the Government of the Polish Republic in Exile
In office 8 April 1986 – 22 December 1990
President	Kazimierz Sabbat Ryszard Kaczorowski
Preceded by	Kazimierz Sabbat
Succeeded by	Third Polish Republic
Personal details
Born	Edward Franciszek Szczepanik 22 August 1915 Suwałki, Poland
Died	11 October 2005(2005-10-11) (aged 90) Worcestershire, England

Edward Franciszek Szczepanik (Polish: [ʂt͡ʂɛˈpaɲik]; born 22 August 1915 in Suwałki, Poland; - 11 October 2005 in Worcestershire, England) was a Polish economist and the last Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile.

Szczepanik was born on 22 August 1915 in Suwałki, a small town in northern Poland, while the country was part of Imperial Russia under German occupation.

Edward lived in Kościuszko street, he went to the local grammar school and then studied at the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH). He studied for his M.Sc. in political economy under Professor Edward Lipiński in 1936. During his compulsory military service he was stationed at the Artillery Officers' School with the 29th Light Artillery Regiment. He won a scholarship to study at the London School of Economics, studying under Professors Lionel Robbins, Friedrich Hayek and Paul Narcyz Rosenstein-Rodan. On his return he became an assistant in Lipiński's department in SGH. After the interruption of the War, he completed his education with an M.Sc. in Economics from the LSE in 1953 and also a PhD in Economics in 1956.

During the Invasion of Poland, Szczepanik was interned in Lithuania and later captured by the Soviet forces. From 1940 until 1942, he was a prisoner of the Soviet Gulag camps in Kozielsk and Kola Peninsula. Following the outbreak of the Russo-German War and signing of the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement, he was released and joined the Polish II Corps under general Władysław Anders. As an Officer (and eventually Major) in the Polish Army, he served with distinction in the Fifth Polish Artillery Regiment - notably in the battles of Monte Cassino, Ancona, and Bologna. He was one of the first members of the Allied troops to enter Bologna. In 1945 he received the Cross of the Valorous, and the following year was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit with Swords. In addition, Szczepanik was awarded the Italian Cross of Military Merit by the King of Italy and several other Polish and British campaign medals. He also served as a liaison officer with the Royal Artillery Training Team, commanded by Colonel R.R. Hoare.