Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska
Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska (16 May 1871 Warsaw – 19 February 1962 in Krakow) was a Polish botanist, activist, and legislator. Her botanical research focused on the plant taxonomy of Iris, Tremandraceae and marine algae.[1][2][3][4]
Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska | |
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| Born | Gabriela Iwanowska 16 May 1871 Warsaw, Poland |
| Died | 19 February 1962 Krakow, Poland |
| Burial place | Rakowicki Cemetery |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Alma mater | University of Geneva |
| Occupation(s) | Botanist, activist, legislator |
| Spouse | Zygmunt Balicki |
| Parents |
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Biography
Gabriela Iwanowska was born on 16 May 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, the third daughter of Antoni Iwanowski, a government official, and Sybilla Rosenwerth who hailed from a family of landowners. However, her mother died when Gabriela was a young child, in 1874, and her father died only ten years later, leaving Gabriela and her sisters orphaned but well-off members of Warsaw's social elite.[1]
In 1889, Gabriela travelled to Switzerland to begin her studies at the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Geneva, graduating with her bachelor's degree in natural sciences in 1890.[1]
In 1891 she married Polish activist and sociologist Zygmunt Balicki, however, according to Luksa, "Zygmunt Balicki made his decision for marriage due to external coercion — he ensured the wedding with Gabriela would give him the financial stability he needed so badly."[1]
Researcher
In 1893, Gabriela Balicka completed her botany studies at the University of Geneva, obtaining her Ph.D. in natural sciences with the dissertation Contribution a l'étude anatomique et systématique du genre Iris et des genres voisins, written under the direction of Robert Chodat. By doing so, she became one of the first Polish women to earn a university education.[1]
Remaining in Geneva after graduation, she went to work in a plant physiology laboratory. In 1896, the couple settled in Munich, where Gabriel continued her scientific activities under the guidance of the German botanist - Karl von Goebl.[1] In 1898, she and her husband moved to Dębniki near Kraków to care for Gabriela's orphaned niece, Janina Kossobudzka.[1]
During the years 1898–1906, Gabriela collaborated with the botany professor Emil Godlewski (senior), at Jagiellonian University and published research in the field of anatomy, cytology and physiology.[1][5]
During World War I, she remained in Warsaw becoming involved in the work of the Polish Red Cross. By this time she was separated from her husband; he died in 1916.[1]
Legislator
After the end of the war, Poland regained its independence and Balicka took up a political career. According to the national decree of 28 November 1918, women were granted active and passive voting rights if they were older than 21. Deciding to run for office, Balicka aimed to be elected to the country's primary legislative body. Balicka's name was recognizable among voters and she was elected as a deputy in the Legislative Sejm (1919-1922) and in the Sejm I (1922-1927), Sejm II (1928-1930) and Sejm III (1930-1935). She also became the leading activist of the National Women's Organization.[1]
In the Legislative Sejm, Balicka was mainly involved in the fight to lift restrictions on women's civil rights.[1]
Last years
Balicka withdrew from politics after 1935. During the German occupation she lived in Górka Narodowa near Kraków. She died there 19 February 1962 and was buried in the historic Rakowicki Cemetery, near the center of Kraków.
Selected publications
- Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriela. Contribution à l'étude anatomique et systématique du genre Iris et des genres voisins . (dissertation) Impr. Aubert-Schuchardt, 1893.
- Chodat, Robert, and Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska. Remarques sur la structure des Tremandracées. Romet, 1893.
- Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabriele. "Die Morphologie des Thelygonum cynocrambe." Flora 83 (1897): 357-366.
- Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. "Contribution à l'étude du sac embryonnaire chez certain Gamopetales." Flora 86 (1899): 47-71.
- Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. Recherches sur la décomposition et la régénération des corps albuminoides dans les plantes. 1903.
- Balicka-Iwanowska, Gabrielle. Contribution à l'étude du rôle physiologique de l'acide phosphorique dans la nutrition des plantes. 1906.
References
- Luksa, Katarzyna (2014). "Gabriela Balicka (1867-1962), naukowiec, posłanka Narodowej Demokracji" (PDF). Wieki Stare I Nowe (in Polish). Muzeum Historii Polski. 6 (11): 126–139. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
- Creese, Mary R. S. (2015). Ladies in the Laboratory IV: Imperial Russia's Women in Science, 1800-1900: A Survey of Their Contributions to Research. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 115–116. ISBN 9781442247420. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- Passmore, Kevin (2003). Women, Gender, and Fascism in Europe, 1919-45. Manchester University Press. p. 162. ISBN 9780719066177. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- Oldfield, Sybil (April 1919). "POLAND: Five Women M.P.'s in Constituent Assembly". International Woman Suffrage News: 94. ISBN 9780415257404. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- Kurowski, Józef Krzysztof (2019-06-24). "Właśnie minęło 50 lat – praktyki botaniczne '68". Wiadomości Botaniczne. 63. doi:10.5586/wb.2019.001. ISSN 2543-6503.