Dr. Kószó István belügyi államtitkár életpályája

Abstract

István Kószó was party president, lawyer, secretary of the interior ministry, notary, also famous citizen of Szeged, however, his life story is still unknown after hundred years. In his time, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, he was a wellknown person in the city of Szeged, and also in the region. This article focuses mainly on his political career, because prof. Dr. József Sipos was more interested in this aspect of Kószó’s life. His nationwide political career started in 1917, during the Great War, when he became a member of parliament. After the war and during the chaotic period, he came back to Szeged to work again as a lawyer. It proved to be a good choice, as the base of the counterrevolution moved to Szeged during this time and he was able to make contact with the leading political figures (like Miklós Horthy, Pál Teleki, István Bethlen). In the 1920’s, he made a national political career with the help of these contacts. The article also focuses on the titles he received or wanted to obtain, how he won the MP elections in Szeged, on his alleged antisemitism, and whether he should have retired from the parliament, from the ministry. I will also examine his associations in Szeged, where he was president, vice-president and honorary president. The article is dedicated to prof. Dr. József Sipos, to our teacher, who passed in 2021.