{{Short description|Polish industrialist, social activist, and independence fighter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox person | image = Emil_Rauer.jpg | alt = View of Emil Rauer in military clothing | caption = Emil Rauer (c. 1920) | birth_date = {{Birth date|1870|07|31|df=y}} | birth_place = {{ill|Irena, Dęblin|lt=Irena|pl|Irena (Dęblin)}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|1943|12|13|1870|07|31|df=y}} | death_place = Warsaw | occupation = industrialist, military officer | honours = Order of Polonia Restituta, Cross of Valour, Cross of Merit, Cross of Independence | signature = Emil Rauer signature.png }} [[File:Rauer+Czyniowski+Wojciechowski.png|thumb|1925 anniversary celebrations of the Civic Guard and Police. Emil Rauer (the shorter figure, in the inspector's uniform with shoulder straps) and Commander Czyniowski present their report to President Stanisław Wojciechowski]] [[File:Emil Rauer (3).png|thumb|Emil Rauer being awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta by General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (1938)]] thumb|Members of the board of the Union of Former Participants of the Railway Security Guard, with President Emil Rauer in the center (1934) '''Emil Ignacy Rauer''' (31 July 1870 – 13 December 1943) was a Polish industrialist, creator and commander of a railway protection formation, social activist, and independence fighter. He was initially a partner in companies producing metal decorations, milling machines, and later ammunition factories for the military. He was a long-time member of various leadership positions in the Sokół movement. During World War I, he co-founded and held various high positions in the Civic Guard and National Guard. He participated in the creation of the Railway Guard, which he later commanded after it was transformed into the Railway Security Guard. He led this formation during the Polish-Soviet War. Later, he was also a prominent activist in veteran organizations of the Second Polish Republic. In 1942, he was arrested by the Germans and imprisoned for about six months in Pawiak prison. A few months after his release, he died.
== Childhood and youth == Emil Rauer was born on 31 July 1870 in the village of {{ill|Irena, Dęblin|lt=Irena|pl|Irena (Dęblin)}} in the Puławy County (then the Nowoaleksandryjski County), as the son of Karol Rauer and Maria (née Pilny).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Konarski |first=Stanisław |title=Emil Ignacy Rauer |url=https://www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl/a/biografia/emil-ignacy-rauer |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref> He attended secondary school in Warsaw, where he was an active participant in self-education circles.<ref name=":0" />
== Industrial activity == In 1899, Emil Rauer, in partnership with A. Makowski, founded a metal goods company that produced metal wreaths and flowers. The enterprise included a factory located in Warsaw (initially at 129 Jerusalem Avenue, later at 47 {{ill|Stalowa Street|lt=|pl|Ulica Stalowa w Warszawie}}), and retail outlets in Warsaw (22 {{ill|Senatorska Street|lt=|pl|Ulica Senatorska w Warszawie}}), Kyiv, and St. Petersburg.<ref name=":0" /> The company won a gold medal for its metal flowers at the 1909 Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition in Częstochowa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wystawa Przemysłu i Rolnictwa w Częstochowie w 1909 roku |trans-title=The Exhibition of Industry and Agriculture in Częstochowa in 1909 |url=https://www.wystawa1909.pl/index.php?menu=spis-nagrodzonych&gr=V |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=www.wystawa1909.pl |language=pl}}</ref> By around 1910, Emil Rauer became the sole shareholder of the company. In 1911, he was part of the board of the Warsaw Mutual Insurance Society for Mines.<ref name=":0" />
In July 1914, together with his partner P. Kozłowski, he acquired a mill machinery and millstone factory in the Praga district of Warsaw, which had previously belonged to Cezary Skoryna, who died in 1903.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Konarski |first=Stanisław |title=Polski Słownik Biograficzny |publisher=The Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History Polish Academy of Sciences |year=1997–1998 |editor-last=Markiewicz |editor-first=Henryk |editor-link=Henryk Markiewicz |volume=XXXVIII |pages=290–291 |language=pl |trans-title=Polish Biographical Dictionary |chapter=Cezary Skoryna}}</ref> Skoryna was the father of his second wife, Jadwiga (whom he married in 1910).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Skan aktu ślubu numer 303 z dnia 9 czerwca 1910 |trans-title=Scan of Marriage Certificate No. 303 from 9 June 1910 |url=https://metryki.genealodzy.pl/metryka.php?ar=8&zs=9214d&sy=326&kt=1&skan=303.jpg |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=metryki.genealodzy.pl |language=pl}}</ref> The company ceased operations in 1918,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Haratym |first=Andrzej |date=2001 |title=Skorynowie i ich fabryka |trans-title=The Skorynas and Their Factory |url=https://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/1669/nd/Skorynowie-i-ich-fabryka |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=niedziela.pl |language=pl}}</ref> but according to Jarosław Zieliński, it continued to function in the interwar period under the name Mill Machinery Manufacturing Company "Młynotwórnia".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zieliński |first=Jarosław |title=Atlas dawnej architektury ulic i placów Warszawy, tom 15 |date=2011 |publisher=Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zabytkami |isbn=978-83-88372-42-1 |location=Warsaw |pages=313–318 |language=pl |trans-title=Atlas of the Former Architecture of Streets and Squares of Warsaw, Volume 15}}</ref> According to contemporary press articles, it essentially became a branch of the Poznań-based Joint-Stock Company of the Mill Machinery Factory "Młynotwórnia".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=11 October 1923 |title=Ogłoszenia nowych emisji. T-wo Akc. Wytwórni Maszyn Młyńskich "Młynotwórnia" |trans-title=Announcements of New Issues. Joint-Stock Company of the Mill Machinery Factory "Młynotwórnia" |journal=Gazeta Bankowa |language=pl |volume=21 |page=9}}</ref>
In 1921, Rauer, along with others, founded the Metal Industry "Granat" Joint-Stock Company in Warsaw.<ref name=":0" /> One of the company's locations was at the same address (22 Senatorska Street) as the previous factory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fabryka Przemysłu Metalowego "Granat" |trans-title=The Metal Industry Factory "Granat" |url=https://www.twoja-praga.pl/praga/fabryki/5097.html |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=www.twoja-praga.pl |language=pl}}</ref> Initially, the company produced metalware and mechanical toys.<ref name=":0" /> In 1925, "Granat" acquired an industrial plant in Kielce and began producing ammunition components, fuses, and hand grenades for the Polish army and for export.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Banaszek |first=Tadeusz |date=2013 |title=Produkcja wojskowa kieleckich zakładów przemysłowych w okresie międzywojennym |trans-title=Military Production of Kielce Industrial Plants in the Interwar Period |url=http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Studia_Muzealno_Historyczne/Studia_Muzealno_Historyczne-r2013-t5/Studia_Muzealno_Historyczne-r2013-t5-s51-56/Studia_Muzealno_Historyczne-r2013-t5-s51-56.pdf |journal=Studia Muzealno-Historyczne |language=pl |pages=51–56}}</ref> Emil Rauer remained on the board of "Granat" until 1939.<ref name=":0" />
== Activity in the Sokół movement and other sports organizations == Since 1906, Emil Rauer had been the president of the second branch of the Sokół movement in Warsaw, which he founded. After it was banned by the authorities in June 1907, he transformed it into the Sports Enthusiasts Circle.<ref name=":0" /> In the meantime, at the first convention in 1906, he was elected to the Main Department (equivalent to the General Board) of Sokół in Congress Poland.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Bogucki |first=Andrzej |url=http://kpbc.ukw.edu.pl/dlibra/plain-content?id=85542 |title=Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne "Sokół" na Pomorzu 1893-1939 |date=1997 |publisher=Centrum Informacji Naukowej Sokolstwa Polskiego przy Towarzystwie Gimnastycznym "Sokół" II |isbn=978-83-905875-2-3 |location=Bydgoszcz |pages=127, 182 |language=pl |trans-title=The Gymnastic Society "Sokół" in Pomerania 1893–1939}}</ref> In the autumn of 1915, he founded the sixth branch of Sokół in the Praga district of Warsaw, where he remained president for many years.<ref name=":0" /> He continued his involvement in the leadership of Sokół, and in 1919, he was elected to the board and organized the gathering of its members in July 1921.<ref name=":0" /> In 1920, he served as the president of the First Branch of Sokół in Warsaw.<ref name=":3" />
He was also involved in the establishment of the Praga Sports Society in December 1916 and became its president. He was elected a member of the council of the Riflemen's Brotherhood in Warsaw in 1921, and also served as vice-president of the Union of Sports and Social Societies. He continued in this role after the union changed its name in 1926 to the Union of Polish Associations.<ref name=":0" />
== Political activity == Emil Rauer held numerous positions in Warsaw. In 1916, he was part of the management of the Compulsory Supplies Section of the Warsaw Municipal Board and served as an inspector in the Morality Guard Division.<ref name=":0" />
Rauer is also reported to have led the Polish Fascist Organization, a small party established in 1925. At its peak in April 1926, it had around 100 members in Warsaw but failed to mobilize for active participation during the May Coup. The organization's activity ceased in 1927.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Tomasiewicz |first=Jarosław |date=2016 |title=Paramilitarne struktury i działalność spiskowo-bojowa polskiej prawicy 1918-1933 |trans-title=Paramilitary Structures and Conspiratorial-Combat Activities of the Polish Right Wing 1918–1933 |url=http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Bezpieczenstwo_teoria_i_praktyka_czasopismo_Krakowskiej_Szkoly_Wyzszej_im_Andrzeja_Frycza_Modrzewskiego/Bezpieczenstwo_teoria_i_praktyka_czasopismo_Krakowskiej_Szkoly_Wyzszej_im_Andrzeja_Frycza_Modrzewskiego-r2016-t10-n2/Bezpieczenstwo_teoria_i_praktyka_czasopismo_Krakowskiej_Szkoly_Wyzszej_im_Andrzeja_Frycza_Modrzewskiego-r2016-t10-n2-s67-86/Bezpieczenstwo_teoria_i_praktyka_czasopismo_Krakowskiej_Szkoly_Wyzszej_im_Andrzeja_Frycza_Modrzewskiego-r2016-t10-n2-s67-86.pdf |journal=Bezpieczeństwo: Teoria i praktyka |language=pl |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=67–86}}</ref> Additionally, in January 1925, Rauer became the commander of the Order and Discipline Guard,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> an ultra-right nationalist organization according to police evaluations at the time. Its membership, also estimated at about 100, primarily came from military and sports circles.<ref name=":4" />
In May 1927, Rauer was elected to the City Council on the Christian Democracy ticket and served on its Suburban and Electoral Committees.<ref name=":0" />
He was involved in organizing the 125th anniversary of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 in 1916 and the 130th anniversary of the Battle of Praga in 1924.<ref name=":0" /> Rauer also served as the treasurer of the National Votive Committee for building the Church of Divine Providence in Warsaw and was the chairman of the financial committee for constructing the monument to Jan Kiliński.<ref name=":0" />
Rauer also played a role in the creation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw. Despite early discussions, disagreements over its location and design delayed the project.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Skrodzki |first=Jerzy Andrzej |date=2005 |title=80. rocznica ustanowienia Grobu Nieznanego Żołnierza |trans-title=The 80th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |url=http://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/78086/nd/80-rocznica-ustanowienia-Grobu-Nieznanego |journal=Niedziela |language=pl |page=21}}</ref> On 2 December 1924, the Union of Polish Associations of the Republic of Poland secretly placed a stone slab inscribed ''To the Unknown Soldier'' beneath the Prince Józef Poniatowski Monument in front of the Saxon Palace. Three days later, Rauer anonymously added an eternal flame to the site.<ref name=":5" /> This ''de facto'' memorial influenced the establishment of the permanent Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Saxon Palace colonnade in 1925. The identity of those involved was revealed only years later.<ref name=":5" />
In the field of education, Rauer was vice-president of the Praga chapter of the {{ill|Polish Educational Society (Poland)|lt=Polish Educational Society|pl|Polska Macierz Szkolna}} in 1916 and chaired the Praga section supporting education through the May Fundraiser.<ref name=":0" /> In August 1917, he joined the supervisory board of the Władysław IV Gymnasium. He was also a board member of the Polish Educational Society during the 1920s.<ref name=":0" />
Rauer was among the founders of the Society of Friends of Praga, established in April 1915, and later served on its board, including as vice-president from 1916 and president in the 1920s. In 1917, he co-founded the Union of Praga Associations and became one of its vice-chairmen.<ref name=":0" />
== Service in military formations == In July 1914, Emil Rauer co-organized the Civic Guard, serving from August 1915 as one of its deputy commanders and head of the supply department.<ref name=":0" /> Between 1916 and 1917, he completed non-commissioned officer, officer, and instructor courses organized by the Polish Military Organization in Warsaw under the auspices of Sokół.<ref name=":0" /> In 1918, he co-founded the National Guard and became commander of its 5th District; in November of that year, he participated with his unit in disarming German forces.<ref name=":0" />
From 1918 to 1920, Rauer served in railway protection formations. In November 1918, acting on behalf of the {{ill|Ministry of Railways (Poland)|lt=Ministry of Railways|pl|Ministerstwo Kolei}}, he began organizing the Railway Guard, starting with the Warsaw Directorate and later expanding to include the Radom Directorate.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |date=1920 |title=Wojskowa Straż Kolejowa 1918-1920 (szkic monograficzny) |trans-title=Military Railway Guard 1918–1920 (A Monographic Outline) |url=https://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/120629?id=120629&from=publication |journal=Biblioteka Uniwersytecka W Poznaniu |language=pl |pages=}}</ref> By the end of April 1919, the Railway Guard was militarized and transformed into the Railway Security Guard, tasked with protecting railway infrastructure.<ref name=":6" /> Rauer assumed command over the Warsaw, Radom, and Vilnius directorates.<ref name=":0" /> When the Railway Security Guard established a General Command in late May 1919, he became its overall commander, delegating leadership of the Warsaw Directorate to others.<ref name=":6" />
On 1 February 1920, the Railway Security Guard structures in the Warsaw, Lublin, Kielce, Łódź, and Białystok provinces, as well as in the capital city of Warsaw, were integrated into the State Police.<ref name=":6" /> According to Railway Security Guard's own published history, Rauer left service at that point.<ref name=":6" /> However, the ''Polish Biographical Dictionary'' reports that during the Polish-Soviet War in July 1920, Rauer led a Railway Security Guard company in defending the railway line between Stanisławów and Lviv, leaving military service only at the end of 1920.<ref name=":0" /> This discrepancy might be explained by a Railway Security Guard brochure suggesting Rauer was expected to assume command in the Eastern Borderlands, where the Vilnius Directorate already existed, and the Volhynia Directorate was being formed – areas not incorporated into the police force.<ref name=":6" />
Later, Rauer co-founded the Union of Former Participants of the Railway Security Guard and held leadership positions, including serving as its president. He was also a board member of the {{ill|Federation of Polish Associations of Defenders of the Homeland|lt=|pl|Federacja Polskich Związków Obrońców Ojczyzny}}.<ref name=":0" /> During the interwar period, he held the rank of colonel.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |date=25 December 1938 |title=Wojskowa Straż Kolejowa. Dekoracja zasłużonych działaczy |trans-title=Railway Security Guard. Decoration of Distinguished Activists |url=http://jbc.bj.uj.edu.pl/Content/322474/ |journal=Naród i wojsko |language=pl |page=15}}</ref>
== Private life == [[File:Emil Rauer - grób.jpg|thumb|Grave of Emil Rauer at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw]] Emil Rauer was married three times. His first wife was Bronisława (née Car), whom he married on 21 August 1897. She died in 1901, and they had a daughter, Janina, who died in childhood.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Rauerowie |trans-title=Rauers |url=https://cmentarze.um.warszawa.pl/pomnik.aspx?pom_id=38556 |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=cmentarze.um.warszawa.pl |language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Skan aktu ślubu numer 153 z dnia 21 sierpnia 1897 |trans-title=Scan of Marriage Certificate No. 153 from 21 August 1897 |url=https://metryki.genealodzy.pl/metryka.php?ar=1&zs=1218d&sy=1897a&kt=2&plik=152-153.jpg |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=metryki.genealodzy.pl |language=pl}}</ref> His second marriage was to Jadwiga (née Skoryna), daughter of industrialist and social activist Cezary Skoryna (1841–1903). They married on 9 June 1910 but later divorced.<ref name=":2" /> His third wife was Helena (née Makowiecka), whom he married on 26 June 1927. Helena outlived him and died in 1965.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" />
== Prison sentence and death == The ''Polish Biographical Dictionary'' indicates that Rauer's fate at the beginning of World War II remains unclear. However, it is known that he was arrested by the Germans on 10 November 1942 and held in Pawiak prison.<ref name=":0" /> According to the memoirs of a fellow prisoner, Rauer was described as "very weak and exhausted, at times near death".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Wspomnienia więźniów Pawiaka |publisher=Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza |year=1964 |editor-last=Czuperska-Śliwicka |editor-first=Anna |page=334 |language=pl |trans-title=Memoirs of Pawiak Prisoners}}</ref> He was released on 10 May 1943 in such a poor state that, according to the ''Polish Biographical Dictionary'', he died in Warsaw in the autumn of the same year.<ref name=":0" /> He was buried at Powązki Cemetery (section 211-1-10,11), and his gravestone lists his date of death as 13 December 1943.<ref name=":8" />
== Orders and decorations ==
* Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (10 November 1938)<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zarządzenie o nadaniu Wielkiej Wstegi Orderu Odrodzenia Polski, Krzyża Komandorskiego z Gwiazdą Orderu Odrodzenia Polski, Krzyża Komandorskiego Orderu Odrodzenia Polski, Krzyża Oficerskiego Orderu Odrodzenia Polski oraz Krzyża Kawalerskiego Orderu Odrodzenia Polski |trans-title=Regulation on the Awarding of the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta |url=https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WMP19382580592 |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=isap.sejm.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref> * Cross of Valour<ref name=":0" /> * Golden Cross of Merit (20 September 1925)<ref>{{Cite web |title=M.P. z 1925 r. nr 231, poz. 949 |trans-title=M.P. from 1925, No. 231, Item 949 |url=https://monitorpolski.gov.pl/M1925231094901.pdf |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=monitorpolski.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref> * Cross of Independence (23 December 1933)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zarządzenie o nadaniu Krzyża Niepodległości z Mieczami, Krzyża Niepodległości i Medalu Niepodległości |trans-title=Regulation on the Awarding of the Cross of Independence with Swords, the Cross of Independence, and the Independence Medal |url=https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WMP19340060012 |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=isap.sejm.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref>
== References == <references />
Category:Members of the Polish Gymnastic Society "Sokół" Category:Polish Military Organisation members Category:Recipients of the Medal of Independence Category:Burials at Powązki Cemetery Category:Polish Christian democrats Category:Polish sports executives and administrators Category:Polish industrialists Category:Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rauer, Emil}} Category:1870 births Category:1943 deaths