 Stanisław Swianiewicz was born on November 7, 1899 in Dvinsk in Imperial Russia (modern Daugavpils, Latvia), to a Polish szlachta family.Brought up in the multi-cultural society of Livonia, he spoke Polish, Russian and German as his native tongues.After graduating from a trade school in Orel, he attended Moscow University's Law Faculty, which then included all social sciences.