Brejski, Jan
Brejski, Jan (Johannes Brejski), 1903-05, 1907-12 member of the Reichstag of the German Empire. *20.2.1863 Ponschau/Pączewo, †10.12.1934 Toruń, journalist and editor, publisher, owner of a printing press. He was the son of a peasant. After attending grammar school he studied history, literature and political sciences in Kraków and wrote for the newspaper Głos Narodu/Voice of the Nation. After that he worked as a journalist in Kraków. From 1893 onwards he was the head of the newspaper Wiarus Polski/Polish Campaigner, in Bochum. This was the most influential paper for Polish Catholics living in the Ruhrgebiet and the most important organ of the Polish-Catholic clubs there. He then handed over the editorship of the paper to his brother Anton. Under the two brothers he transformed the paper from a religious newspaper to a radical Polish nationalist paper. He was the initiator behind Polish choirs, church and Sokół gymnastic clubs and co-founder of the Polish Coal Miners Union, the Zjednoczenie Zawodowe Polskie/Polish Professional Union. He served a prison sentence for an offence committed by the press. In June 1903 he was elected to the German Reichstag as a member of the Polish parliamentary group for the constituency of Fischhausen (today Primorsk, Oblast Kaliningrad) with a majority of 52.39%. Amongst the select committees on which he served were those on the law on merchants, and petitions. In January 1907 he was elected to the German Reichstag as a member of the Polish parliamentary group for the constituency of Berent-Preußisch Stargard-Dirschau/Kościerzyna-Starogard Gdański-Tczew with a majority of 62.24%. Amongst the committees on which he served were those dealing with the law on courts, the civil service/military laws, domicile assistance and laws on clubs and societies. From 1905 onwards he wrote for the Gazeta Toruńska/Thorn Newspaper and for the newspaper Przyjaciel/The Friend. In 1907 he was the publisher of three newspapers, Wiarus Polski, Gazeta Toruńska and Przyjaciel. In Thorn he founded the first Polish professional association for agricultural workers, the Polski Związek Robotników Rolnych/Polish Farmers Union. After Poland became independent he was a member of the Sejm from 1919 to 1922; and between 1919 and 1920 the State Secretary in the Ministry for the Former Prussian Areas. Between 1920 and 1924 he was 1920-24 the Voivode for Pommerellen. After the May putsch in 1926 he devoted his energies to supporting Józef Pilsudski. After failing to be elected to the Sejm in 1928 he retired from political life. picture: in 1907.
Further Reading:
Amtliches Reichstag-Handbuch, 11. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1903, 195; Reichstag-Handbuch, 12. Legislaturperiode, Berlin, 1907, 224, 486 (picture); Reichstagsprotokolle 1895-1918, Register 204, 238, 269; A. Kotowski: Zwischen Staatsräson und Vaterlandsliebe, Düsseldorf 2007, 69, 155f.
Online:
http://zhsf.gesis.org, Parlamentarierportal, BIORAB Kaiserreich online;
http://www.reichstag-abgeordnetendatenbank.de/
http://www.reichstagsprotokolle.de
Biblioteka Sejmowa, http://biblioteka.sejm.gov.pl
A. Gusowski: Wiarus Polski, http://www.porta-polonica.de/de/node/172
Axel Feuß, September 2016
Link to the minutes of the Reichstag:
http://www.reichstagsprotokolle.de
