The original Kuryer Polski was the first Polish daily newspaper printed in the United States. Its founder was Michał Kruszka who published the newspaper in June 1888 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Kuryer was created to raise the national awareness among Poles living in Milwaukee and to fight for their interests. Kuryer's motto was: representing Polish interests in America.
Later, Kuryer stood in stark opposition to the policy of the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Sebastian Gebhard Messmer, who was against the appointment of Polish priests in the hierarchy of the archdiocese. With the appointment of Father Edward Kozłowski as the first Polish bishop in Milwaukee, this long conflict ended and Kuryer continued to achieve success.
Its editors-in-chief were great Poles such as: Michael Kruszka (1888-1899); Franciszek H. Jabłoński, (1901-1905); Stanislaw J. Zwierzchowski, (1919-1928?); Czesław Dziadulewicz, (1928-1936); Józef Kapmarski, (1937-1940); Franciszek Plichta, (1958-1960); Jane Sorbogne-Boguslawski, 1961-1962.
On June 27, 1908, Kuryer Polski celebrated its 20th anniversary and was then the largest newspaper in Milwaukee, beating even American newspapers in this respect. At that time, the newspaper was 66 pages long and was distinguished by the excellent quality of articles and advertisements. It is worth adding that even then Kruszka published bilingual materials, which made this newspaper extremely attractive. Kruszka had a business education in printing.
His brother, Wacław Kruszka (1868-1937), who went down in history as the author of the amazing History of Poles in America, was a Catholic priest, Polish diaspora activist and journalist.
The original Kuryer Polski ended its run on September 23, 1962.
