Jacek Kuroń

Jacek Kuroń
May 1, 1989 demonstration day with the participation of the opposition and Jacek Kuroń
Member of Sejm
In office 4 June 1989 – 18 October 2001
Minister of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Poland
In office 12 September 1989 – 12 December 1990
President	Wojciech Jaruzelski
Prime Minister	Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Preceded by	Michał Czarski
Succeeded by	Michał Boni
Minister of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Poland
In office 11 July 1992 – 26 October 1993
President	Lech Wałęsa
Prime Minister	Hanna Suchocka
Preceded by	Jerzy Kropiwnicki
Succeeded by	Leszek Miller
Personal details
Born	Jacek Jan Kuroń 3 March 1934 Lviv
Died	17 June 2004(2004-06-17) (aged 70) Warsaw, Poland

Jacek Jan Kuroń (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjat͡sɛk ˈjan ˈkurɔɲ]; 3 March 1934 – 17 June 2004) was one of the democratic leaders of opposition in the People's Republic of Poland. He was widely known as the "godfather of the Polish opposition," not unlike Václav Havel in Czechoslovakia. Kuroń was a prominent Polish social and political figure largely responsible for theorizing the movement that broke the back of communism, an ideology he initially tried to reform. As an educator and historian, he first postulated the concept of a de-centered movement that would question the totalitarian system and its personality cult. Kuroń started out as an activist of the Polish Scouting Association trying to educate young people that would take charge of the future; he later co-founded with Antoni Macierewicz the Workers' Defence Committee or KOR, a major dissident organization that was superseded by Solidarity in August 1980. After the changes in independent Poland, he ran for president supported by the likes of Jan Karski and served twice as Minister of Labour and Social Policy. Privately, Kuroń was the father of chef Maciej Kuroń.

Kuroń was born in 1934, in Lwów (now Lviv), into a family that supported the Polish Socialist Party (PPS). In 1949, he became a member of the Communist Association of the Polish Youth (ZMP). From 1952, he worked as a full-time employee in the capital scout section affiliated with the Association of the Polish Youth. The same year, he joined the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). Then, he engaged in social movements making attempts to introduce more rights for the workers. After the political transformation and introduction of democracy to Poland, Kuroń became a Minister of Labor and Social Policy. After a long illness, Kuroń died in 2004. His funeral was held on 26 June 2004. He was buried in the Avenue of the Meritious in the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw. The ceremony was attended by close friends, supporters, Polish youth and children. Although Kuroń was an atheist, representatives of all major religious communities came to display their respect to the renowned humanitarian.