Jan Durczak

Biography

Jan Durczak (7th August 1884 - 31st May 1945) - Was born in Ustroń (a town in southern Poland) in a family of workers. He graduated from a five grade folk school and then served in Austrian army. After his duty he started working in metal plant in Witkowice (currently a part of Ostrava).

He has been working in the screw factory in Sporysz since 1910. There he joined PPSD (Polish Social Democratic Party of Galicia and Cieszyn Silesia) and the Trade Union of Metal Workers

He fought in austrian army as corporal of sappers (also called "pioneers") during World War I . After the war he came back to Sporysz and became a chairman of the local PPSD committee and branch of the Metalworkers' Trade Union.

In the parliamentary elections of the year 1919 he obtained a deputy's mandate, starting from the list of Polish Socilialist Party in the electoral district number 5 (Wadowice). In Sejm he was working in the petition commission. As a deputy he took part in the 28th congress of PPS during July 1921 in Łódź.

In the year of 1922 he actively participated in the action took by trade unions to defend workers' interests after reduction of work days in the factory of screws in Sporysz. It granted him huge popularity beyond workers of Silesia. In the same year he became a chairman of district comitee of PPS. He held the deputy mandate until the end of the term, 28th November 1922. He took part in the elections of the year 1922 but haven't achieved any results. He went back to Sporysz, to work in the screw factory. Afterwards he became an accountant of the insurance company in Żywiec.

After May Coup in 1926 he ceased his activity in the PPS until 1928. At the regional conference of PPS in Biała (currently Bielsko-Biała) on 22nd January 1928 he joined the district workers' committee of Cieszyn Silesia. He remained in its squad until 1932. 28th October 1928 he was chosen to be a chairman of the Class Trade Union Council in Żywiec and again a chairman of district comitee of PPS. In 1929, as a result of Durczaks pronouncements against reign of Sanation, Jan Durczak was demoted from his office. He became an ordinary official. In 1933 was moved to insurance company in Biała where he was working until the start of the second world war. During german occupation he was actively participating in the underground PPS-WRN (Polish Socialist Party - Freedom Equality Independence). After liberation, he took part in the reactivation of insurance company in Biała. He was offered to become a mayor of Biała. Unfortunately he could not take the opportunity because of his sudden death at 31st May 1945.