Jaroslav Stránský

Jaroslav was born in 1884 in Brno. Following his father’s example, he studied law at Charles University in Prague, and became a member of the first elected Czechoslovak Chamber of Deputies in 1918.  Seven years later he was elected as vice-chairman of the National Labor Party, while continuing the family tradition of publishing Lidové noviny and numerous other periodicals.  During WWII, he served as the Minister of Justice of the government in exile in London, where he was a prominent voice in BBC radio broadcasts to occupied Czechoslovakia, using his excellent rhetorical skills to calm and encourage the nation. Following the war, he took on the task of punishing Nazi collaborators.  After his return to Czechoslovakia, Jaroslav became Minister of Education, establishing teaching institutions of higher education. During the government crisis in February 1948, he resigned in protest and was forced to leave his homeland for the second time, resuming his fight, and again broadcasting from London to the communist Czechoslovak state. There, he also became a member of the executive committee of the Council of Free Czechoslovakia, the National Committee and the Dr. E. Benes Institute for Political and Social Studies. Jaroslav refused to renounce his Czechoslovak citizenship and held a Czechoslovak passport until his death. He did not live to see Czechoslovakia become free, but always knew that the day would come. His wife Milada stood selflessly by his side in his efforts to restore freedom and democracy in Czechoslovakia. After the forced flight of her family to London, Milada became an active member of the Czechoslovak Women’s Council. For his services, Jaroslav was awarded the Order of T. G. Masaryk in memoriam by President Václav Havel of Czechoslovakia on 28 October 1991.