Erazm Józef Jerzmanowski was an industrialist and social activist. He was born in 1844 in Tomisławice. He took part in the January Uprising. He studied in Poland, in France, and later moved to the United States, where he started a wide range of activities:
- perfected the method of using gas for lighting
- established gas plants in many US cities
- he was a co-founder of the Equitable Gas Light Company
- he was active in the USA and Galicia
- maintained the Polish reading room in New York
- he financed Polish parish schools and various charity institutions
- looked after Polish emigrants
- founded a Polish church
In 1896, he purchased a property in Prokocim, Krakow, where he settled down permanently and was active socially and charitable. He died in Krakow in 1909 and was buried in the Rakowice cemetery.