Ferenc Deák (politician)
Ferenc Deák | |
---|---|
Minister of Justice of Hungary | |
In office 17 March 1848 – 2 October 1848 | |
Preceded by | office established |
Succeeded by | Sebő Vukovics |
Personal details | |
Born | Kerepesi Cemetery | 17 October 1803
Political party | Opposition Party (1847–1849) Address Party (1861) Deák Party (1865–1875) Liberal Party (1875–1876) |
Parent(s) | Erzsébet Sibrik Ferenc Deák |
Ferenc Deák de Kehida (archaically English: Francis Deak,[1] Croatian: Franjo Deák; 17 October 1803 – 28 January 1876) was a Hungarian statesman and Minister of Justice. He was known as "The Wise Man of the Nation" and one of the greatest figures of Hungary's liberal movement.[2][3]
He was an instrumental contributor to a number of major events in Hungarian history, including passing and support of the
While generally supporting reformist policies, he was well recognized for finding and negotiating reasonable middle ground compromises between various extremist political factions throughout his career.Early life and law career
Born in Söjtör in the county of Zala, in southwestern Hungary, Deák belonged to an ancient noble family. His father was Ferenc Deák de Kehida (1761–1808), jurist, landowner, chief magistrate of the district (főszolgabíró) of Kapornak. His mother was the noble lady Erzsébet Sibrik de Szarvaskend et Óvár (1768–1803). He studied law, and became successively an advocate and notary.
His reputation was quickly established, and he first went into politics in 1833 when he attended the assembly of Pressburg (now Bratislava) as a replacement for his older brother Antal Deák de Kehida (1789–1842), beginning his career that would make him one of the most important personalities in the Hungarian politics and reforms of the 1840s. His name became known as a result of his involvement in the suit of Miklós Wesselényi and his success in declaring the Hungarian Assembly's right to create laws.
Early activism
In 1836, Deák wrote and distributed a document about the causes that he supported without the permission of the censors; while it was confiscated, it was already widespread and made his name familiar in important circles. During the
Political career
In 1846, after the bloody end of the
Once part of the revolutionary government, Deák continued to urge moderation and made several trips to the court in
Deák spent most of the 1850s in semi-retirement, tacitly supporting various national causes without engaging in active politics. He, however, refused to assume any public role, office or position, thus becoming an emblem of the so-called
Gradually, Deák moderated his views on Hungary's independence. Although he maintained that the April Laws were fully valid, he began taking the line that foreign affairs, defence and finance were "common" to both Austria and Hungary under the
He died on 28 January 1876 and was buried with great pomp. Parliament created a law to remember his excellent service and ordered that a statue be created from national donations. Today one of the central squares of Budapest,
Legacy
- Deák Ferenc Bilingual High School was named after him.
- metro stationalso named after him.
- He is portrayed on the 20,000 forint bank note (the highest denomination Hungarian currency note).
- Hungarian Post Office issued a postage stamp on 1 July 1932.[7]
- He was often referred to as 'The wise man of the homeland'.
- Deak features prominently in the 1904 book THE RESURRECTION OF HUNGARY by the Irish nationalist Arthur Griffith, who argued that Deak's policy of non-recognition of the post-1848 Austrian administration in Hungary could be imitated by Irish nationalists to achieve self-rule within a British-Irish dual monarchy.
References
- ^ Florence Mary Arnold-Forster: Francis Deák, Hungarian Statesman: A Memoir – 1880
- ^ Gerő, András (1999). Hungarian Liberals. Új Mandátum. pp. 55–56.
- ^ Király, Béla (1975). "The Radical Liberal Phase of Ferenc Deák's Career". Südost Forschungen. 34: 195–210.
- ISBN 9780822979173. p. 83
- ^ a b c Bain 1911, p. 895.
- ^ a b "Budapest Pocket Guide - Famous Hungarians". Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ "Stamp › Ferenc Deák (1803–1876) politician". colnect.com.
- public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Deák, Francis". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 895–896. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
Further reading
- Király, Béla K. Ferenc Deák. Twayne's world leaders series. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1975.
- Arnold-Forster, Florence Mary. Francis Deák : Hungarian Statesman : A Memoir. London: Macmillan, 1880. (online version available here)