Family Background, Preparation and Opportunity: The Making of the Dualist-Era Hungarian Minister, Kálmán Széll

Abstract

In getting his career in public service off the ground, the talented and ever-ready Kálmán Széll (1843–1915), was helped significantly by his influential father József Széll’s (1801–1871) social network, specifically his close relationship with Ferenc Deák. Deák, the emblematic figure of the 1867 Settlement had known the Széll boys since they were children. However, Kálmán Széll’s relationship to Deák was truly solidified in autumn 1867, when he married Ilona Vörösmarty, the daughter of one of the most popular poets in Hungary and the ward of Deák, who had taken responsibility for the girl’s wellbeing in 1855, upon the death of her father Mihály Vörösmarty.Did young Széll’s career take off in 1867–1868 because of the wedding and his closeness to Deák, or would it have occurred irrespective? Providing a completely objective answer to this complicated question is of course impossible, but by analyzing the antecedents, circumstances and consequences of the marriage, we are able to provide a more nuanced picture. No doubt Széll’s career path was made smoother by his close relationship to Deák, which, provided the opportunity for fast career advancement. However, without talent, determination and hard work, he would not have been able to endure the trials and tribulations of Hungarian national politics. Our best course of action is to take the two extreme positions – well-connected careerist versus the “up by the bootstraps” self-made man – and placing Kálmán Széll as close to the center as possible.