Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva | |
|---|---|
Daguerreotype portrait by Southworth & Hawes, May 1852 | |
| Governor-President of the Hungarian State | |
| In office 14 April 1849 – 11 August 1849 | |
| Monarch | Vacant |
| Prime Minister | Bertalan Szemere |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Artúr Görgei (acting) |
| 2nd Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |
| In office 2 October 1848 – 1 May 1849 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand V |
| Deputy | Pál Nyáry |
| Preceded by | Lajos Batthyány |
| Succeeded by | Bertalan Szemere |
| Commander-in-chief of the Hungarian Revolutionary Army | |
| In office 2 October 1848 – 11 August 1849 | |
| Supreme Commander | |
| Preceded by | Lajos Batthyány |
| Succeeded by | Artúr Görgei |
| 1st Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Hungary | |
| In office 7 April 1848 – 12 September 1848 | |
| Prime Minister | Lajos Batthyány |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Lajos Batthyány |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 September 1802 Monok, Hungary, Habsburg monarchy |
| Died | 20 March 1894 (aged 91) Turin, Italy |
| Resting place | Kerepesi Cemetery, Budapest |
| Citizenship | Hungary (until 8 January 1890) Stateless (since 8 January 1890) |
| Party | Opposition Party |
| Children | 2, including Ferenc |
| Relatives | Juraj Košút (uncle) |
| Alma mater | University of Pest |
| Occupation | |
| Signature | |
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (Hungarian: [ˈlɒjoʃ ˈkoʃut]; Hungarian: udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos; Slovak: Ľudovít Košút; English: Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, statesman, revolutionist and governor-president of the Hungarian State during the war of independence of 1848–1849.
Kossuth, known for his public speaking skills, rose from a lesser noble (gentry) background to become regent-president during the 1848–1849 Hungarian revolution. As the influential contemporary American journalist Horace Greeley said of Kossuth: "Among the orators, patriots, statesmen, exiles, he has, living or dead, no superior."
Kossuth's powerful speeches so impressed and touched the famous contemporary American orator Daniel Webster, that he wrote a book about Kossuth's life. During his lifetime, Kossuth was publicly honored in countries such as Great Britain and the United States, where he was viewed by some supporters as a symbol of democratic movements in Europe. Kossuth's bronze bust can be found in the United States Capitol with the inscription: Father of Hungarian Democracy, Hungarian Statesman, Freedom Fighter, 1848–1849. Friedrich Engels considered him to be "a truly revolutionary figure, a man who in the name of his people dares to accept the challenge of a desperate struggle, who for his nation is Danton and Carnot in one person ...".