Okunevsky, Teofil

Okunevsky, Teofil [Окуневський, Теофіль; Okunevs’kyj, Teofil’], b 7 December 1858 in Yavoriv, Kolomyia circle, Galicia, d 19 July 1937 in Horodenka, Galicia. Lawyer and civic and political leader of the Kolomyia-Horodenka region; brother of Yaroslav Okunevsky. After graduating in law from Vienna University (1885) he became active in Galician politics and helped found the Ukrainian Radical party (1890) and the National Democratic party (1899). He was elected to the Galician Diet (1889–1900 and 1913–14) and to the Austrian parliament (1897–1900 and 1907–18). In 1890 he established a law office in Horodenka and helped organize and finance various economic, educational, and cultural organizations. For many years (until 1930) he was president of the Prosvita branch in Horodenka. He acted as defense counsel at many political trials, including that of Myroslav Sichynsky (1908). When the Western Ukrainian National Republic was established, he served as a member of the Ukrainian National Rada, commissioner of Horodenka county, and appeals court judge in Stanyslaviv. His correspondence with Mykhailo Drahomanov was published by Mykhailo Pavlyk in 1905.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]