Juliusz Karol Kunitzer

Juliusz Karol Kunitzer (1843–1905) was a Polish industrialist, economic activist, philanthropist, and one of the industrial magnates of Łódź in Congress Poland. He owned a textile and later a joint stock company. His viciousness towards workers and cooperation with Russian authorities gained him notoriety among Łódż citizens. He was assassinated by Polish Socialist Party activists in the aftermath of the 1905 Łódź insurrection.

Kunitzer was a polarizing personality and career. Known among Łódź's elites as a shrewd businessman, "cotton king" who became a tycoon due to his personal skills and luck, respected for this and his philanthropy and other public initiatives, for others – particularly radicals and socialists, he was a vicious exploiter of workers and a leader of anti-labor industrialists.

Biography

Kunitzer was born on 19 September 1843 in Przedbórz, then Congress Poland (increasingly known as the Vistula Land). His family had roots in German burgher society, and moved to the Polish territories in the 1830s His father, Jakub, a weaver by profession, died in 1850, after which Juliusz with his mother moved to Tyniec. Kunitzer often denied his workers their salaries in order to "teach them reason" which threatened them with hunger; such threat was also used to break down strike at his factory. Workers in his factory faced financial fines and payments In 1886 report by Russian authorities pointed out that Kunitzer's factory which employed 860 workers, had no first aid room where a doctor could help or examine an injured worker. Kunitzer's factories were also among two with lowest wages in Łódż and there was already a failed attempt to assassinate him in 1893. Kunitzer himself consequently acted against workers.

On 30 September 1905 he was assassinated by Polish Socialist Party activists in the aftermath of the 1905 Łódź insurrection in which he refused any concessions to the workers. One of the assailants (Adolf Szulc) was captured; the second one escaped. His assassination became the topic of the day for Polish and Russian newspapers; the event was condemned by conservative media, and praised by the radical, socialist ones. The Widzew enterprise was bought by Heinzel and Italians Tanfani and Farinola.