Count Gyula Szapáry de Szapár, Muraszombat et Széchy-Sziget (1 November 1832 – 20 January 1905) was a Hungarian politician who served as

Prime Minister of Hungary The prime minister of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország miniszterelnöke) is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party ...

from 1890 to 1892.

Biography

Born into a prominent Hungarian noble family and large estate owners. His parents were Count József Szapáry, a royal counselor and Baroness Anna Orczy de Orczi. He was a cousin of Count

Frigyes Szapáry Count Frigyes Szapáry de Szapár, Muraszombat et Széchy-Sziget (15 November 1869 – 18 March 1935), was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat of Hungarian origin serving as ambassador at St. Petersburg at the outbreak of World War I and who played ...

, who served as ambassador at St. Petersburg at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Szapáry married Countess Karolina Festetics de Tolna (1838–1919). They had seven children (including Lőrinc Szapáry). His great-grandchild is

György Szapáry György Szapáry (born 1 August 1938) is a Hungarian–Belgian economist, who served as the Hungarian Ambassador to the United States between 2011 and 2015. He was also a former Deputy Governor of the Hungarian National Bank. Early life He was bo ...

economist, former deputy governor of the

Hungarian National Bank The Hungarian National Bank ( hu, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB)) is the central bank of Hungary and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). The Hungarian National Bank was established in 1924 and succeeded the Royal Hungarian St ...

and

ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

from January 2011 to January 2015.

Political career

He studied law, entered the government service and became Viscount (''vicecomes'') of

Heves County Heves county ( hu, Heves megye, ) lies in northern Hungary, between the right bank of the river Tisza and the Mátra and Bükk mountains. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Pest, Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Jász-Nagykun-S ...

. He spent nine legislative sessions for the Liberal Party as a representative in the

Diet of Hungary The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale ( hu, Országgyűlés) became the supreme legislative institution in the medieval kingdom of Hungary from the 1290s, and in its successor states, Royal Hungary and ...

. He was elected Count (''comes'') of Heves in 1867. In 1870 he became Secretary to the Transport Ministry,

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in 1873,

finance minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 1878 to 1887 in the cabinet of

Kálmán Tisza Kálmán Tisza de Borosjenő (archaic English: Coloman Tisza, or Koloman Tisza; 16 December 1830 – 23 March 1902) was the Hungarian prime minister between 1875 and 1890. He is credited with the formation of a consolidated Magyar governme ...

, then also Minister for Transport and

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

from 1889. Szapáry Gyula

During his tenure as prime minister of Hungary from 13 March 1890 to 17 November 1892 were laws to promote the industrial, social reform and currency reform, switching silver-based

Forint The forint (sign Ft; code HUF) is the currency of Hungary. It was formerly divided into 100 fillér, but fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step in the post-World War II stab ...

to the gold-based Korona, to be carried out by Finance Minister

Sándor Wekerle Sándor Wekerle (14 November 1848 – 26 August 1921) was a Hungarian politician who served three times as prime minister. He was the first non-noble to hold the office in Hungary. Biography He was born in Mór to a Danube Swabian family, i ...

.Peter F. Sugar (ed.): ''A history of Hungary.'' Verlag Indiana University Press, Bloomington 1990, , S. 268f. Szapáry was a cautious and moderate liberal politician, technocratic, or bureaucrat described, but he was able to rely on experienced ministers, which he had largely taken from the Tisza government. Therefore, his government was essentially also the policy of his predecessor. Robert A. Kann: ''A history of the Habsburg Empire, 1526–1918.'' University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif. 1980, , S. 454. An administrative and ecclesiastical reform but without success and after the national opposition won the parliamentary elections 1892. Sándor Wekerle succeeded him. Wekerle,

Dezső Szilágyi Dezső Szilágyi (1 April 1840 – 30 July 1901) was a Hungarian politician and jurist, who served as Minister of Justice between 1889 and 1895. Biography Szilágyi was born at Nagyvárad (today: ''Oradea, Romania'') in the Kingdom of Hungary. ...

Gábor Baross Noble Gábor Baross de Bellus (6 July 1848 – 8 May 1892) was a Hungarian statesman in Hungarian parliament, was born at Barossháza now Pružina near Trencsén (now Trenčín, Slovakia). He was for a time one of the professors there under Car ...

and Albin Csáky were all members of his cabinet. The relative success of his government was possible due to the high ministers. Szapáry was appointed Master of the Treasury in 1900. He served as president of the Credit Bank since 1904.

Personal life

He married Karolina Festetics de Tolna on 30 May 1864 with whom he had 7 children including Lőrinc Szapáry.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Szapary, Gyula 1832 births 1905 deaths People from Pest, Hungary Hungarian nobility Gyula Prime Ministers of Hungary Hungarian Interior Ministers Finance ministers of Hungary Agriculture ministers of Hungary Public Works and Transport ministers of Hungary Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria