Jan Zamoyski, 90; Polish Aristocrat Was Target of Persecution
Count Jan Zamoyski, 90, a member of one of Poland’s most prestigious noble families who was the target of communist persecution, died of natural causes June 29 in a Warsaw hospital.
Born June 12, 1912, in Klemensow, Zamoyski was the son of Maurycy Zamoyski, then one of Poland’s biggest landowners.
He graduated from Institute Superieur de Commerce et Economie in Nancy, France, and Warsaw’s Main Trade School before returning home to run the family property.
He served as an infantry and cavalry officer in the Polish Army in 1939 during the failed defense against Nazi invaders.
During World War II, he fought against the Germans as a member of the underground Home Army. After the war, the communist authorities confiscated Zamoyski’s property and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of spying for the West. Seven years later, he was released.
After the communists were ousted, Zamoyski was elected senator in 1991 for the small, conservative National Democrats.
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