Konstanty Wolny (1877-1940) – szkic do biografii pierwszego marszałka Sejmu Śląskiego

Konstanty Wolny (1877-1940) – a sketch for biography of the first Speaker of the Silesian Parliament. Konstanty Wolny lived from 1877 to 1940. He was an eminent Polish independence activist in Upper Silesia, a lawyer and co-founder of the Silesian autonomy. K. Wolny was the first Speaker of the Silesian Parliament and a consistent defender of the autonomy of the Silesian voivodeship. He enjoyed great authority among deputies of the Silesian Parliament – he was repeatedly elected Speaker with a huge majority of votes. After the May Coup in 1926, he was an opponent of Józef Piłsudski’s camp. He ceased to stand for the Silesian Parliament as he stated that the electoral law became undemocratic. During the Second World War, in fear of being arrested by Germans, he fled to Lviv. There, he passed away.