Sándor Wekerle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sándor Wekerle
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| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |
| In office 17 November 1892 – 14 January 1895 |
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| Monarch | Francis Joseph I |
| Preceded by | Gyula Szapáry |
| Succeeded by | Dezső Bánffy |
| In office 8 April 1906 – 17 January 1910 |
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| Monarch | Francis Joseph I |
| Preceded by | Géza Fejérváry |
| Succeeded by | Károly Khuen-Héderváry |
| In office 20 August 1917 – 30 October 1918 |
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| Monarch | Charles IV |
| Preceded by | Móric Esterházy |
| Succeeded by | János Hadik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 November 1848 Mór, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 26 August 1921 (aged 72) Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Political party | Liberal Party (1906) National Constitution Party (1906–1918) Constitution Party of '48 (1918) |
| Spouse | Gizella Molnár |
| Children | Sándor |
| Profession | Jurist, Politician |
Sándor Wekerle (born 14 November 1848 – died 26 August 1921) was an important Hungarian politician. He served as the prime minister three different times. He was special because he was the first person who was not from a noble family to hold this high office in Hungary.
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Sándor Wekerle's Early Life and Career
Sándor Wekerle was born in a town called Mór in Hungary. His family was of German origin, known as Danube Swabians. He studied law at the University of Budapest. After finishing his studies, he earned a special degree called doctor juris.
He then started working for the government. After some time, he got a job in the finance ministry. This ministry handles all the money matters for the country. Even while working, he also taught about how the economy works at the university.
Rising Through Government Ranks
In 1886, Wekerle was chosen to be a member of the Hungarian parliament, called the House of Deputies. In the same year, he became the financial secretary of state. This meant he was a key helper in managing the country's money.
By 1889, he became the minister of finance. This was a very important job. He quickly started working to make Hungary's financial situation better. He managed to change how the country's loans were handled. For the first time in Hungary's history, he made sure the government's budget did not spend more money than it had. This was a big achievement!
Becoming Prime Minister of Hungary
In November 1892, Sándor Wekerle became the prime minister of Hungary. He also kept his job as the finance minister. He led a strong government. Even though some powerful groups, like the Catholic church and noble families, were against him, he managed to pass an important law in 1894. This law was called the Civil Marriage Bill. It meant that people could get married in a government ceremony, not just in a church.
However, the groups who opposed this law continued to cause problems. Because of this, Wekerle resigned from his position on 22 December 1894.
Later Political Roles
After resigning, he took a break from politics for a few years. In 1897, he became the head of a new legal committee in Budapest.
He returned to power in 1906, becoming prime minister again on 8 April. He also took on the role of finance minister once more. He resigned from this position in April 1909, but he officially left office in January 1910.
Wekerle became prime minister for a third time in 1917. This was during the last year of World War I. In this role, he was mostly a leader who helped bring different groups together. His government tried to give more people the right to vote. However, events moved too quickly, especially with Austria-Hungary losing the war. Wekerle resigned in October 1918.
During a difficult time in Hungary called the Hungarian Soviet Republic, Sándor Wekerle was held as a prisoner.
Sándor Wekerle's Legacy
Sándor Wekerle passed away in Budapest when he was 72 years old.
A famous neighborhood in the south of Budapest is named after him. It's called the Wekerle estate (or Wekerletelep). This neighborhood was built before World War II. Its main square was designed by a famous architect named Károly Kós. The Wekerle estate was created to provide good, affordable homes for working-class families. It was designed to be a green, open, and friendly place to live. This was one of the first examples of a planned neighborhood like this in Europe.
See also
In Spanish: Sándor Wekerle para niños
