Volodymyr Kedrovsky. UVAN archive
Volodymyr Kedrovsky became one of the symbols of the struggle for Ukrainian statehood during the First Liberation Movement. In exile, he actively participated in the development and activities of diaspora cultural, educational, and informational institutions and popularized the idea of Ukrainian independence in the Western world. His fate reflects the tragic period of Ukrainian history under totalitarian regimes.
Serhiy Stelnykovych, historian
Volodymyr Kedrovsky was a military officer, public and political figure, colonel of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) army, head of the UPR Diplomatic Mission to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, head of the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America radio station; a representative of the second wave of emigration—lived and worked in Austria and the United States.
The military officer was born on August 13, 1890, in Kherson. After graduating from the Kherson specialized school, he entered a nautical school. Later, he studied economics and statistics at Novorossiysk University in Odesa (1907-1911). From his youth, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Party of Socialists Revolutionaries. While working in the Kherson Zemstvo (an organ of rural self-government), he emphasized the importance of teaching children in their native language. V. Kedrovsly participated in the First World War.
Since the beginning of the Ukrainian Revolution, he had been involved in developing the Ukrainian army. He participated in the First and Second All-Ukrainian Military Congresses. Interestingly, Volodymyr Kedrovsky managed to preserve the flag of Ukraine, which was used during the Second All-Ukrainian Military Congress in June 1917. Later, his son Yurii transferred the unique artifact to the Ukrainian Museum in New York collection. In 1919, he was a member of the UPR mission to Turkey and head of the UPR Diplomatic Mission to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. V. Kedrovsky left detailed memories of the Ukrainian Revolution and his participation in his memoirs in “1917” (Winnipeg, 1967).
Since 1921, he had been in exile. At first, the military officer lived in Vienna (Austria). He collaborated with the Union of Ukrainian Journalists and Writers Abroad and headed the Ukrainian League of Nations Association. Since 1923, he had lived and worked in the United States. Volodymyr Kedrovsky had his own business in housing construction and later engaged in farming. He took an active part in the life of the Ukrainian community: he edited the oldest Ukrainian newspaper in the United States, “Svoboda” (Freedom, 1926-1933), organized Ukrainian school education (1920s), and headed the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America radio station (1955-1963). He donated valuable documents and books from his library to the UVAN Archives in New York, the Library of Congress, and others.
He died in New York City on March 13, 1970, and was buried in the South Bound Brook cemetery (USA).
