Grażyna Gęsicka was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 sociologist and politician and a former (2006 - 2007) Minister of Regional Development

Ministry of Regional Development of the Republic of Poland

The Ministry of Regional Development of the Republic of Poland was created on 31 October 2005, with its functions being devolved from the Ministry of Economy and Labour...

 in Jarosław Kaczyński's government. From 2009 until her death she was the leader of Law and Justice parliamentary caucus.

She was born in Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

. In 1974 she graduated from Warsaw University's Institute of Sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

 and in 1985 received her doctorate

Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...

.

She was a former member of the Polish Sociological Society and the Association Internationale des Sociologues de Langue Francaise.

She was a speaker of English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

.

She was listed on the flight manifest

Flight manifest

A flight manifest is a list of passengers and crew of an aircraft compiled before departure based on flight check-in information. It is securely guarded to protect passengers' privacy.- References :...

 of the Tupolev Tu-154

2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash

The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...

 of the 36th Special Aviation Regiment

36th Special Aviation Regiment

The 36 Specjalny Pułk Lotnictwa Transportowego 36 SPLT is a special aviation regiment of the Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, established in 1945. All of its aircraft are for national public use, the most important being transport of Polish politicians and MON highest officials &...

 carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński

Lech Kaczynski

Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...

 which crashed near Smolensk-North airport near Pechersk near Smolensk

Smolensk

Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, on 10 April 2010, killing all aboard.. On April 25, she was buried in the Smolensk Cemetery Headquarters Military Cemetery in Warsaw.

On 16 April 2010, Gęsicka was posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.