From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
President of Hungary
Zoltan Tildy
(
Hungarian:
[?zoltaːn
?tildi]
; 18 November 1889 ? 3 August 1961), was an influential leader of
Hungary
, who served as
prime minister
from 1945 to 1946 and
president
from 1946 until 1948 in the post-war period before the seizure of power by Soviet-backed communists.
Biography
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Early life and family
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Zoltan Tildy was born in
Losonc
(
Lu?enec
now in
Slovakia
), in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
to the family of a Hungarian official in the local government. He took a degree in theology from the Reformed Theological Academy in
Papa
, afterwards spending a year studying at
Assembly's College
, Belfast, in
Ireland
. Tildy served as an active minister of the Reformed Church beginning in 1921, and edited the daily paper of the Reformed church in Hungary, the Kereszteny Csalad (Christian Family), as well as other periodicals. In 1929, Tildy joined the
Independent Smallholders' Party
(FKgP) with other noted Hungarian political figures, including
Ferenc Nagy
. He became executive vice-president of the organization soon afterwards.
He married
Erzsebet Gyenis
(1896?1985) in 1916 and had three children:
Zoltan Tildy, Jr.
(1917?1994), Erzsebet Tildy (1918?2012), and Laszlo Tildy (1921?1983).
Political career and later life
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Tildy palace ? Andrassy avenue 96
Grave of Zoltan Tildy and his wife, Erzsebet Gyenis in Budapest.
Tildy was elected to the Hungarian parliament in 1933, being reelected in 1936 and 1939. He put pressure on
Horthy
's government to pull out of the
Second World War
. After Hungary was occupied by the
Germans
, Tildy was forced into hiding. After the
Soviets
occupied Hungary and drove out the Germans, Tildy became leader of the FKgP. Tildy became
Prime Minister of Hungary
, serving from 15 November 1945 until 1 February 1946, when Tildy was elected
President of Hungary
. He was an ex officio member of the
High National Council
from 7 December 1945 until 2 February 1946.
Tildy served as the first President of the Republic of Hungary until 31 July 1948, when he was forced to resign after allegations emerged about his son-in-law being arrested for corruption and adultery. Tildy was held under house arrest in
Budapest
until 1 May 1956. He was appointed to the position of a state minister in the coalition government during the
1956 Hungarian Revolution
. He was eventually arrested by Soviet forces after the revolution was crushed by
Warsaw Pact
intervention. On 15 June 1958 Tildy was sentenced by the Supreme Court to six years' imprisonment, in the trial of
Imre Nagy
and associates. However, he was released under an individual amnesty in April 1959 in view of his advanced years (in fact due to illness). He then lived in complete retirement until he died in
Budapest
on 3 August 1961.
[1]
References
[
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- ^
Zoltan Tildy
, Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, page 364
External links
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