Kazimierz Bartel

Kazimierz Bartel
Kazimierz Bartel
Prime Minister of Poland 18th Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland
In office 29 December 1929 – 17 March 1930
Preceded by	Kazimierz Świtalski
Succeeded by	Walery Sławek
Prime Minister of Poland 16th Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland
In office 27 June 1928 – 14 April 1929
Preceded by	Józef Piłsudski
Succeeded by	Kazimierz Świtalski
Prime Minister of Poland 14th Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland
In office 15 May 1926 – 30 September 1926
Preceded by	Wincenty Witos
Succeeded by	Józef Piłsudski
Personal details
Born	Kazimierz Władysław Bartel (1882-03-03)3 March 1882 Lwów, Austria-Hungary
Died	26 July 1941(1941-07-26) (aged 59) Lwów, occupied Poland
Nationality	Polish
Political party	BBWR
Spouse(s)	Maria Bartlowa
Occupation	Member of Parliament Statesman Mathematician Scholar Diplomat Freemason
Religion	Roman Catholicism
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Kazimierz Władysław Bartel (Polish pronunciation: [kaˈʑimjɛʂ vwaˈdɨswaf ˈbartɛl], English: Casimir Bartel; 3 March 1882 – 26 July 1941) was a Polish mathematician, scholar, diplomat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland three times between 1926 and 1930 and the Senator of Poland from 1937 until the outbreak of World War II.

Bartel was appointed Minister of Railways between 1919 and 1920, in 1922–1930 he was a member of Poland's Sejm. After Józef Piłsudski's May Coup d'état in 1926, he became prime minister and held this post during three broken tenures: 1926, 1928–29, 1929–1930. Bartel was the Deputy Prime Minister between 1926–1928 and Minister of Religious Beliefs and Public Enlightenment, when Piłsudski himself assumed the premiership, however, Bartel was in fact "de facto" prime minister during this period as Piłsudski did not concern himself with the day-to-day functions of the cabinet and the government.

In 1930 upon giving up politics, he returned to the university as professor of mathematics. In 1930 he became rector of the Lwów Polytechnic and was soon awarded an honorary doctorate and membership in the Polish Mathematical Association. In 1937 he was appointed the Senator of Poland and held this post until World War II.

After the Invasion of Poland by the Soviets and subsequent occupation, he was allowed to continue his lectures at the Technical Institute. In 1940 he was summoned to Moscow and offered a seat in the Soviet parliament. Following Operation Barbarossa, on 30 June 1941 the German Wehrmacht entered Lwów and began the persecution of the local intelligentsia. Bartel was imprisoned by the Gestapo two days later and offered to create a Polish puppet government with himself as the head. His eventual refusal of accepting the terms imposed by the occupant was considered as an act of treason against the German authorities. By the order of Heinrich Himmler Bartel was murdered on 26 July 1941, shortly after the Massacre of Lwów professors had ended.