Count István Bittó de Sárosfa et Nádasd (3 May 1822 in Sárosfa,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

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– 7 March 1903 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

) was a Hungarian politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of Hungary from 10 September 1872 to 23 March 1874 and as

Prime Minister of Hungary The prime minister of Hungary () is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the government of Hungary, Cabinet are collectively accountability, accountable for their policies and actions to the National Assembly (Hungary), Par ...

from 1874 to 1875.

Early life and ancestry

Born into an old Hungarian noble family, he was the younger son of Benjámin Flórián Bittó de Sárosfalva et Nádasd (1786-1844) and his wife, Mária Julia Nagy de Lidértejed (1795-1868).

Career

Bittó studied law and entered into a legal civil service. During the Revolution of 1848–49, he was a revolutionary and a member of the Diet of Hungary. He emigrated after the defeat of Hungary in 1849 out of the country, but returned in 1851. From 1861 Bittó was a parliamentarian in the newly convened parliament to the Liberal Party of Ferenc Deák. After the compromise with Austria Bittó was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1869 and 1872. He served as justice minister in the government of Menyhért Lónyay from 1871 to 1872. On 1 March 1874 he was appointed by King Ferenc József prime minister. The office he held only until 2 March 1875 when he was replaced by Béla Wenckheim. In the era of Kálmán Tisza (1875–1890) he was one of the few former liberal oppositionists (he was the only Prime Minister who later joined to the opposition). From 1899 until his death, Bittó was a member of the House of Magnates.

Private life

István was married to his cousin, Mária Emilia Ágnes Lídia ''Irma'' Bittó de Nádasd et Sárosfalva (1839-1921), the daughter of Szeraf Ferenc József Bittó de Nádasd et Sárosfalva (1811-1866) and his wife, Mária Markovich de Zséna (1820-1903).https://www.nevpont.hu/palyakep/bitto-istvan-cb8ac The marriage didn't produce any children.

Death

István Bittó died on 7 March 1903 in

, at the age of 80.

References