Popovich, Matthew

Popovich, Matthew [Попович, Матвій; Popovyč, Matvij; or Popowich], b 21 August 1890 in Lubianky, Zbarazh county, Galicia, d 19 August 1943 in Grimsby, Ontario. Communist leader and journalist. He emigrated to the United States in 1910 and then to Canada in 1911. He became involved with the Ukrainian Social Democratic party of Canada and its newspaper Robochyi narod. In 1919 he took part in organizing the Winnipeg General Strike. He played an important role in the formation of the Ukrainian Labour-Farmer Temple Association (ULFTA) and the Workers’ Benevolent Association and was a founding member of the Communist Party of Canada (CPC). He served on the executive of the ULFTA and was a member of the Central Committee of the CPC, for which he edited the Ukrainian-language journal Za bil'shovyzatsiiu. Popovich was arrested with other CPC leaders in 1931 under the provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada and was imprisoned for over two years. In 1940, while in failing health, he was again interned, under the War Measures Act; he was virtually an invalid when released.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kravchuk, Petro. Matvii Popovych (Toronto 1986)

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 4 (1993).]