Kłos, Józef Albin

Józef Albin Kłos (1870-1938). Polish priest, 1914-18 member of the Reichstag of the German Empire
Józef Albin Kłos (1870-1938). Polish priest, 1914-18 member of the Reichstag of the German Empire

Kłos, Józef Albin (Joseph Klos), 1914-18 member of the Reichstag of the German Empire. *1.3.1870 Lubasch/Lubasz, †10.8.1938 Poznań, Catholic priest. After completing his studies at the Maria-Magdalena grammar school in Poznan he studied at the theological colleges in Poznan and Gniezno. In 1893 he was ordained a priest in the Cathedral at Gniezno. He was first a vicar at Gniezno Cathedral, and from 1895 onwards a prebendary at the Dominican church in Poznan. From 1895 onwards he was the chief editor of the Przewodnik Katolicki/Catholic Leader, the oldest social and religious periodical in Poland. Furthermore he was the chair of the board of the Drukarnia i Księgarnia św. Wojciecha/printing house and bookshop of St Adalbert in Poznan. During his time as editor of the Przewodnik Katolicki he was several times fined and sentenced to prison, amongst others, when the periodical spoke out in favour of the use of the Polish language in religious lessons during the Wreschen School Strike in 1901. In March 1914, after the retirement of the member of Parliament, Maciej Ignacy Mielżyński (Mathias Count of Brudzewo-Mielzynski, 1869-1944) he was elected as a member of the Polish parliamentary group in the German Reichstag for the constituency of Samter-Birnbaum-Obornik/Szamotuły-Międzychód-Oborniki with a majority of 52.66%. He sat on the select committees for the Reich budget, trade and industry, and tax law. During the First World War he served in Switzerland, the USA and Palestine. In 1916 he was made a Papal Chamberlain and Archiepiscopal Spiritual Counsellor. Between 1919 in 1922 he was a member of the Sejm. He was honoured with the Cross of the Knight Commander of the Order Polonia Restituta. picture: 1916.

Further reading:

Reichstag-Handbuch, Nachtrag zur 13. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1916, 17f., 45 (picture); Reichstagsprotokolle 1895-1918, Register 296; A. Kotowski: Zwischen Staatsräson und Vaterlandsliebe, Düsseldorf 2007, 79f., 190.

Online:

http://zhsf.gesis.org, Parlamentarierportal, BIORAB Kaiserreich online
http://www.reichstag-abgeordnetendatenbank.de/
http://www.reichstagsprotokolle.de
http://www.bliskopolski.pl/ludzie/jozef-klos/
Biblioteka Sejmowa, http://biblioteka.sejm.gov.pl

Axel Feuß, September 2016

Link to the minutes of the Reichstag:

http://www.reichstagsprotokolle.de