Zoltán Tildy (; 18 November 1889 – 3 August 1961), was an influential leader of

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, who served as

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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

Early life and family

Zoltán Tildy was born in Losonc ( Lučenec now in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

), 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 Pápa, afterwards spending a year studying at Assembly's College, Belfast, in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. 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 Keresztény Család (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 Erzsébet Gyenis (1896–1985) in 1916 and had three children: Zoltán Tildy, Jr. (1917–1994), Erzsébet Tildy (1918–2012), and László Tildy (1921–1983).

Political career and later life

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After Hungary was occupied by the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, Tildy was forced into hiding. When the Soviets occupied Hungary and drove out the Germans, Tildy became leader of the FKgP and was appointed

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 ...

, serving from 15 November 1945 until 1 February 1946, when he was elected President of Hungary. Tildy was an ex officio member of the High National Council from 7 December 1945 until 2 February 1946. Serving as the first President of the Republic of Hungary when he was forced to resign in July 1948 after allegations emerged about his son-in-law being arrested for corruption and adultery. Tildy was held under house arrest 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 ...

until May 1, 1956. He was appointed to the position of a state minister in the coalition government during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and was eventually arrested by Soviet forces after the revolution was crushed by

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

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

on 3 August 1961.Zoltán Tildy
Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, page 364

Notes

References

Föglein Gizella: Az államfő "intézménye" 1944 és 1949 között

Haas György: A kisgazda államminiszter

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tildy, Zoltan 1889 births 1961 deaths People from Lučenec People from the Kingdom of Hungary Hungarians in Slovakia Slovak expatriates in Hungary Hungarian Calvinist and Reformed clergy Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party politicians Presidents of Hungary Prime ministers of Hungary Members of the House of Representatives of Hungary (1935–1939) Members of the House of Representatives of Hungary (1939–1944) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1945–1947) Heads of government who were later imprisoned Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery