Tadeusz Kadenacy was born in 1947. In the 1970s he lectured English at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. He edited publications in samizdat, was a publicist, a member of the Publishing Council of the KOS publishing house.

In October 1981, he left Poland. In Paris, and then in London, he cooperated with the "Puls" magazine, Editions Spotkania and Polonia Book Fund Ltd publishing houses. He was an editor of the "Libertas" independence magazine, published in London. From 1983, he was the foreign representative of the Liberal Democratic Independence Party. In 1991, he returned to Poland. He lives in Cracow.

The Cross of Freedom and Solidarity is awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland to the anti-communist opposition activists from 1956 ̶1989 in recognition of their activities for the independence and sovereignty of Poland and respect for human rights in the People's Republic of Poland. The decoration design is based on the pre-war Independence Crosses and Medals.