List of heads of state of the Free City of Danzig facts for kids

The Free City of Danzig was a special place that existed between 1920 and 1939. It was located on the Baltic Sea coast. Today, this city is known as Gdańsk in Poland.

Even though it had its own post office, money, and citizens, it wasn't fully independent. The League of Nations, an international group formed after World War I to promote peace, managed it directly. A special person called a High Commissioner represented the League of Nations in the city. The city also had its own government, called the Senate. The main leader of the city was the President of the Senate. When it came to dealing with other countries, Poland's ambassadors spoke for the Free City of Danzig.

Who Governed Danzig?

The Free City of Danzig was unique because it was managed directly by the League of Nations. Most other areas overseen by the League were run by member countries. But Danzig, along with another area called the Saargebiet, was directly under the League's care. They sent different people from various countries to be the High Commissioner. This person was like a special representative, making sure things ran smoothly.

Leaders from the League of Nations

Here are the High Commissioners who served in Danzig:

	Number	Name	Years Served	Country
1	Reginald Thomas Tower	1919-1920	UK
2	Edward Lisle Strutt	1920	UK
3	Bernardo Attolico	1920	Italy
4	Richard Cyril Byrne Haking	1921-1923	UK
5	Mervyn Sorley McDonnell	1923-1925	UK
6	Joost Adriaan van Hamel	1925-1929	Netherlands
7	Manfredi di Gravina	1929-1932	Italy
8	Helmer Rosting	1932-1934	Denmark
9	Seán Lester	1934-1936	Irish Free State
10	Carl Jakob Burckhardt	1937-1939	Switzerland

City Leaders (Presidents of the Senate)

The Free City of Danzig also had its own local government. The main leaders were called the Presidents of the Senate. They were in charge of running the city's daily affairs.

More to Explore

• Free City of Danzig

Images for kids

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  House of the Commissioners