Menyhért Lónyay

The native form of this personal name is nagylónyai és vásárosnaményi gróf Lónyay Menyhért. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Count Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary
In office 14 November 1871 – 4 December 1872
Monarch	Francis Joseph I
Preceded by	Gyula Andrássy
Succeeded by	József Szlávy
Personal details
Born	(1822-01-06)6 January 1822 Nagylónya (today Lónya), Hungary
Died	3 November 1884(1884-11-03) (aged 62) Budapest, Hungary
Political party	Opposition Party (1847–1849) Deák Party (1865–1875) Liberal Party (1875–1884)
Spouse	Emília Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (née Kappel)
Children	Béla Menyhért Gábor János

Menyhért Count Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (6 January 1822, in Nagylónya – 3 November 1884, in Budapest) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1871 to 1872.

Early life and ancestry

He was born to an old Protestant Hungarian aristocratic family, dating back to 13th century, as the elder of two sons of János, Baron Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1796-1859) and his wife and cousin, Florentina, Baroness Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásárosnamény (1802-1885). His first cousin once removed was Count Elemér Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1863-1946), second husband of Crown Princess Stéphanie of Austria, who converted to Catholicism upon his marriage and was elevated into the rank of Fürst on 9 February 1917 by Charles I of Austria.

Biography

Wife of Count Menyhért Count Lónyay de Nygylónya et Vásárosnamény: Countess Emilia Lónyay de Nygylónya et Vásárosnamény née Kappel (1825-1888), the daughter of Frigyes Kappel (1773-1855)

He studied law in Pest and became a member of the Hungarian Diet in 1843, where he was a member of the opposition, though he also opposed the protectionist tariff system of Lajos Kossuth. He was undersecretary of state in the government brought to power by the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and fled when the rebellion was put down in 1849. He returned to the country in 1850 with amnesty granted. After his return, he championed the construction works intended to provide navigation and flood control over the Tisza river and had an active role in launching projects in the agricultural and financial sectors. He protested in favor of the autonomy of Protestant churches after the Patent of 1859 endangered them.

He was appointed Minister of Finance under the first constitutional Prime Minister, Gyula Andrássy, in 1867, and in 1870 became the Minister of Finance of Austria-Hungary. In August 1871 he was raised to the rank of Count, and in November 1871 he became Prime Minister of Hungary. He resigned relatively quickly, however, amidst accusations of corruption: He was accused directly by a member of the Diet on 18 November 1872, and was dismissed on 2 December of that year. He became a member of the upper chamber of the Diet in 1875, and died in 1884.

Private life

Coat of Arms of the Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény family in 1860

Count Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény was married in Pest, Hungary on 20 September 1845 to Emília Kappel (1825-1888), the daughter of Frigyes Kappel (1773-1855). They had four sons:

• Count Béla Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1890-1869), married his cousin Baroness Mária Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1849-1893) and had issue:
  • Countess Margit Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1870-1931), married Árpád Vásárhelyi de Kézdivásárhely (1877-1955)
  • Count Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1873-1937), married Ilona Kendeffy de Malomvíz (1873-1958), had issue
• Count Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1849-1884), married Countess Margit Forgách de Ghymes et Gács (1851-1933) and had one daughter:
  • Countess Pálma Eleonora Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1880-1967), married to Prince Eugen Zoárd Odescalchi (1876-1917)
• Count Gábor Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1851-1927), never married
• Count János Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény (1860-1937), never married

Ancestors

Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény's ancestors in three generations

Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény	Father: János Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény	Paternal Grandfather: Menyhért Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény	Paternal Great-grandfather: Baron László Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Zsófia Darvas de Nagy-Réth
		Paternal Grandmother: Erzsébet Szemere de Szemere	Paternal Great-grandfather: László Szemere de Szemere
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Klára Szentpétery de Erzsébetváros
	Mother: Florentina Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény	Maternal Grandfather: Gábor Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény	Maternal Great-grandfather: János Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Florentina Lónyay de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény
		Maternal Grandmother: Piroska Prónay de Tóthpróna et Blathnicza	Maternal Great-grandfather: László Prónay de Tóthpróna et Blathnicza
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Rozália Radvánszky de Radvány et Sajókaza

References

• "Lónyay". Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (in German). Vol. 10 (4th ed.). 1890. pp. 910–911.