Árpád Szakasits (; 6 December 1888 – 3 May 1965) was a Hungarian

Social Democrat Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

, then

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He served as the country's head of state from 1948 to 1950, the first Communist to hold the post. A longtime leader of the

Hungarian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Szociáldemokrata Párt, MSZDP) is a social democratic political party in Hungary. Historically, the party was dissolved during the occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany (1944–1945) ...

, he supported its merger with the

Hungarian Communist Party The Hungarian Communist Party ( hu, Magyar Kommunista Párt, abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary ( hu, Kommunisták Magyarországi Pártja, abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar ...

to form the

Hungarian Working People's Party The Hungarian Working People's Party (, abbr. MDP) was the ruling communist party of Hungary from 1948 to 1956. It was formed by a merger of the Hungarian Communist Party (MKP) and the Social Democratic Party of Hungary (MSZDP).Neubauer, John, ...

. When

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Zoltán Tildy Zoltán Tildy (; 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 com ...

was forced to resign, Szakasits was named his successor on 3 August 1948 as part of the final stage of the Communists' complete takeover of the country. After the adoption of a new Soviet-style Constitution in 1949, the presidency was replaced with a Presidential Council, and Szakasits became its chairman on 23 August 1949, serving until 26 April 1950. Szakasits was an

Esperantist An Esperantist ( eo, esperantisto) is a person who speaks, reads or writes Esperanto. According to the Declaration of Boulogne, a document agreed upon at the first World Esperanto Congress in 1905, an Esperantist is someone who speaks Esperant ...

for over 40 years, attended Esperanto congresses, and was a member of the International Patron Committee for the

World Esperanto Congress The World Esperanto Congress ( eo, Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, UK) is an annual Esperanto convention. It has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run for 113 years. The congresses have be ...

in 1959.

Personal life

Szakasits was married to Emma Grosz (1888–1954). They had together a son, György (1916–1985) and a daughter, Klára (1918–2001). After the death of his first wife, he remarried. His second wife was Maria Theresia Schneider. This marriage was childless. His daughter Klára was the grandmother of Hungarian politician,

András Schiffer András Schiffer (born 19 June 1971 in Budapest) is a Hungarian lawyer and former politician, who served as co-president of the Politics Can Be Different and leader of its parliamentary group. Schiffer announced his retirement from politics on 3 ...

, the founder and onetime leader of the

Politics Can Be Different Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

political party.Heti_Világgazdaság
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References

External links

* 1888 births 1965 deaths Politicians from Budapest People from the Kingdom of Hungary Social Democratic Party of Hungary politicians Members of the Hungarian Working People's Party Members of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party Presidents of Hungary Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1945–1947) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1947–1949) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1958–1963) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1963–1967) Hungarian Esperantists Heads of government who were later imprisoned Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery {{Esperanto-stub