Ágoston Trefort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ágoston Trefort
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| Minister of Religion and Education of Hungary | |
| In office 4 September 1872 – 22 August 1888 |
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| Preceded by | Tivadar Pauler |
| Succeeded by | Gábor Baross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 February 1817 Homonna, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Died | 22 August 1888 (aged 71) Budapest, Austria-Hungary |
| Political party | Opposition Party Deák Party Liberal Party |
| Spouse | Ilona Alojzia Erzsébet Rosty de Barkócz |
| Children | Edit Ervin Mária |
| Profession | politician, jurist |
Dr. Ágoston Trefort (born February 7, 1817 – died August 22, 1888) was an important Hungarian politician. He served as the Minister of Religion and Education for many years, from 1872 until he passed away. He was also the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences starting in 1885.
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Who Was Ágoston Trefort?
Ágoston Trefort was born in Homonna, which is now Humenné in Slovakia. His family was Hungarian and Catholic. His father, Ignác Trefort, was a famous surgeon. His mother was Tekla Beldovics. Ágoston had two younger brothers, Antal and István. Sadly, Antal died when he was a baby.
In 1847, Ágoston married Ilona Rosty de Barkócz. She came from a noble Hungarian family. Together, they had three children: two daughters named Edit and Mária, and a son named Ervin. Ágoston also became related to some famous people through his marriage. His wife's sister, Ágnes, married József Eötvös, who was a well-known poet, writer, and politician.
His Early Life and Education
Ágoston Trefort was very good at languages from a young age. He spoke German, Latin, and Slovak during his school years. When he was young, he lost both of his parents during a serious illness outbreak in 1831. Countess Petronella Csáky became his guardian.
He studied at the Lyceum of Eger. Later, he went to the Faculty of Law at the University of Pest. He learned English, French, and Italian, showing his amazing talent for languages. He finished his law studies when he was just eighteen years old.
After his studies, he traveled around Western Europe. He returned to Hungary in 1837 and passed his lawyer's exam with excellent results. He then started working for the government. He joined the National Casino, where he met many important people, including József Eötvös.
Becoming a Politician
Trefort became very interested in literature and public life. He helped create a society to support Hungarian fine arts. He was also part of a group called the centralists, which included József Eötvös.
At only twenty-four, Trefort became a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He also worked with groups focused on industry and trade. He was elected to the National Assembly of Hungary several times. He wrote articles for the newspaper Pesti Hírlap about important topics like banks, taxes, and making Hungary more industrial.
In 1848, a revolution broke out in Hungary. Trefort was appointed to a temporary press department. He also served as a state secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Trade. After some difficult events, he moved away with his family for a while. They returned to Hungary in 1850. He later became involved in local public affairs in Békés County.
Trefort strongly supported the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. After his wife passed away, he moved to Pest. When his close friend József Eötvös died in 1871, Trefort was offered Eötvös's job as a minister. He accepted and became the Minister of Religion and Education in 1872. He also served as Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Trade for a few years.
Minister of Education: What He Did
As Minister of Religion and Education, Ágoston Trefort worked hard to improve Hungary's education system. He focused on making education better for everyone. He created a new department in the ministry just for school buildings.
He believed that commercial and industrial education was very important for the country's growth. He wanted schools to prepare students for jobs in industry, agriculture, and trade. He made sure that public education met the needs of society.
Trefort and Eötvös's efforts led to the creation of modern higher education in Hungary.
- In 1872, the Polytechnikum became the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
- A second university opened in Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca).
- New departments were created, and buildings for science and medical studies were built.
- He thought medical science and training were extremely important for public health. Many new hospital buildings and clinics were built during his time.
He also improved how universities were organized. He created new rules for exams and studies. He made sure there were opportunities to start new schools and hire excellent professors.
Trefort also changed the system for training teachers in 1873. He combined the training for different types of school teachers. He set up a special committee to examine teachers and offered scholarships for studying abroad. He encouraged teachers to have regular meetings to improve their teaching methods. He also regulated how students could move between different types of schools and organized commercial schools. He even suggested creating schools for industry students.
Trefort believed that culture, economy, and public health were all connected. He worked to develop all these areas.
His Academic Work
In 1841, Ágoston Trefort became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. This means he was recognized for his contributions to science and knowledge. Later, in 1867, he became a full member. In 1885, he was chosen to be the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His busy job as a minister limited how much academic work he could do.
His Legacy
Ágoston Trefort is still remembered today for his important work.
- There is a statue of him at the Eötvös Loránd University.
- A street in Budapest is named after him.
- The Trefort Ágoston Bilingual Secondary School in Kispest also carries his name.
- The Trefort Ágoston Award is a special honor given by the Minister of Education. It is given to people who have worked hard for a long time to improve education.
