Stepan Vytvytskyi
Encyclopedia
Stepan Vytvytskyi (13 March 1884 near Stanislawow
— 9 October 1965 in New York City
, United States
) was a Ukrainian
politician, diplomat, and journalist. He was the President
of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile
(1954-1965).
, next to the city of Stanislawow
, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
in Austria-Hungary
(now Ukraine
). He studied at the law faculties of the Lviv
and Vienna
Universities. During his years as a student, Vytvytskyi was the head of Academic Hromada in Lviv
and the organization Sich in Vienna
. In 1910, he began his practice as a lawer in Drohobych
. In 1914, he entered the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
military organization. From 1915-1918, he was a member of the editorial board of the newspaper Dila, and an editor on the Svoboda newspaper, both being based in Lviv.
While being a member of the Ukrainian National-Democratical Party (UNDP) in October 1918, he was elected as a secretary of the Ukrainian National Rada of the West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR). He was a member of the Ukrainian People's Republic
(UPR) Tsentralna Rada
and the governmental secretary of foreign affairs of the UPR. As a secretary of the Ukrainian National Rada, he was a member of the delegation of the ZUNR at the Worker's Congress of Ukraine in Kiev
, and a delegation member of the act of merging the ZUNR and UPR on January 22, 1919.
Since October 1919, he was the speaker
of the diplomatic missions of the Directory of Ukraine in Warsaw
. For some time, Vytvytskyi headed the secretary of foreign affairs in the government of ZUNR in exile in Vienna. In 1921−1923, he headed the ZUNR mission in Paris
and London
, persuading the governments of these countries (France
, United Kingdom
) to recognize the occupation of the eastern territory of Galicia by Poland
, and help with the re-establishment of its independence.
In 1924, he continued his lawyer practice in Drohobych. From 1935−1939, he was elected to the Polish Sejm
from the Drohobycz district. With the occupation of Galicia by Bolsheviks in 1939, he left Drohobych and emigrated to the west. In 1945, he was elected as the co-speaker of the Central Ukrainian Emigration Commission in Germany
. After the death of Andriy Livytskyi
in 1954, Stepan Vytvytskyi was elected as the president of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile. He died in New York City
on October 9, 1965, and was buried at the cemetery of Bound Brook
, New Jersey
.
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
— 9 October 1965 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) was a Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
politician, diplomat, and journalist. He was the President
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
(1954-1965).
Biography
Stepan Vytvytskyi was born on 13 March 1884, in the village of UhornykyUhornyky
Uhornyky is a village of the Ivano-Frankivsk municipality, in the Western Ukraine.The village is located just east of Ivano-Frankivsk, separated from the city by the river Bystrytsia of Nadvirna. South of it is located another village of the Ivano-Frankivsk municipality Mykytyntsi, while in the...
, next to the city of Stanislawow
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). He studied at the law faculties of the Lviv
Lviv University
The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
and Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
Universities. During his years as a student, Vytvytskyi was the head of Academic Hromada in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
and the organization Sich in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1910, he began his practice as a lawer in Drohobych
Drohobych
Drohobych is a city located at the confluence of the Tysmenytsia River and Seret, a tributary of the former, in the Lviv Oblast , in western Ukraine...
. In 1914, he entered the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
Sich Riflemen
The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin were one of the first regular military units of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army, local population and former commanders of the Ukrainian Sich...
military organization. From 1915-1918, he was a member of the editorial board of the newspaper Dila, and an editor on the Svoboda newspaper, both being based in Lviv.
While being a member of the Ukrainian National-Democratical Party (UNDP) in October 1918, he was elected as a secretary of the Ukrainian National Rada of the West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR). He was a member of the Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
(UPR) Tsentralna Rada
Tsentralna Rada
The Tsentralna Rada or Central Rada at first was the All-Ukrainian council that united political, public, cultural, professional organizations. Later after the All-Ukrainian National Congress that council became the revolutionary parliament of Ukraine...
and the governmental secretary of foreign affairs of the UPR. As a secretary of the Ukrainian National Rada, he was a member of the delegation of the ZUNR at the Worker's Congress of Ukraine in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and a delegation member of the act of merging the ZUNR and UPR on January 22, 1919.
Since October 1919, he was the speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the diplomatic missions of the Directory of Ukraine in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. For some time, Vytvytskyi headed the secretary of foreign affairs in the government of ZUNR in exile in Vienna. In 1921−1923, he headed the ZUNR mission in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, persuading the governments of these countries (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) to recognize the occupation of the eastern territory of Galicia by Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, and help with the re-establishment of its independence.
In 1924, he continued his lawyer practice in Drohobych. From 1935−1939, he was elected to the Polish Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
from the Drohobycz district. With the occupation of Galicia by Bolsheviks in 1939, he left Drohobych and emigrated to the west. In 1945, he was elected as the co-speaker of the Central Ukrainian Emigration Commission in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. After the death of Andriy Livytskyi
Andriy Livytskyi
Andriy Mykolaiovych Livytskyi — died January 17, 1954) was a Ukrainian politician, diplomat, statesman, and lawyer.He was president of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile and the Chairman of the Directory prior to reforming that office into the presidential.-Biography:Andriy Livytskyi was...
in 1954, Stepan Vytvytskyi was elected as the president of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile. He died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on October 9, 1965, and was buried at the cemetery of Bound Brook
Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.