Lech Kaczynski

Lech Kaczyński was a Polish politician and lawyer who served as the president of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. He was also the mayor of Warsaw from 2002 to 2005, the minister of justice and public prosecutor general from 2000 to 2001, and the president of the Supreme Audit Office from 1992 to 1995. He co-founded the Law and Justice party with his twin brother Jarosław Kaczyński in 2001 and was its first leader. He was a prominent figure in the anti-communist opposition movement in Poland, the Solidarity, and participated in the Polish Round Table Talks in 1989. He was an adviser to Lech Wałęsa when he became the president of Poland in 1990. He was a graduate of law and administration of Warsaw University and obtained his Ph.D. and habilitation in labour and employment law from Gdańsk University. He was a professor at Gdańsk University and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. He died in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia, along with his wife and 94 other passengers, including many high-ranking Polish officials. He was buried in the Wawel Cathedral, the resting place of Polish kings and national heroes. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honour.