Géza Kovács
Géza Kovács was born in 1868, and in fact not much more was known about him until now, although he was a key figure in Hungarian economic life in the first half of the 20th century.
Géza Kovács's father was not in business, as his father was the Chief Rabbi Samuel Kohn, a renowned historian of his time who researched the history of Judaism in Hungary. His son Géza was born in Budapest in 1868. In 1897-1898 he changed his name to Kovács, because in 1897 he had married Józsa Kuffler, daughter of Lipót Kuffler, landowner of Pade, as Géza Kohn, but at the time of the wedding in 1898 he was already listed as Géza Kovács.
His first job was at the Fiume Oil Refinery Ltd, where he started as a clerk, and from there he joined the Hungarian General Credit Bank. Géza Kovács's profound knowledge of economics was combined with a very good business sense, which enabled him to rise quickly through the ranks, and in 1898, at the time of his wedding, he was already the head of the Hitelbank. He received his appointment as a Royal Councillor from the King in 1911, when he was Chief of the Stock Exchange Department of the Hitelbank, a title he was given 'in recognition of his merits in the field of Hungarian state economy on the occasion of the brilliant success of the recent issue of notes and annuities'. A year later, in 1912, he was appointed a Royal Councillor as a director, and in the following years he rose to the post of managing director of the bank and became a member of its board of directors.
In addition to his position at the General Credit Bank, he was a member of the board of directors of several other companies, for example in 1923 he was elected to the board of directors of the Rokka weaving mill. He was also chairman of the board of directors of "Hermes" Hungarian General Exchange Company, although he was delegated to this company by its founder, the Hitelbank. According to a statistic from 1931, his income was 47 377 pence per annum, and in the late 1930s it was even more, as in 1938 he received 7 931 pence per annum from the cotton manufacturing industry alone.
Géza Kovács lived at 18 Lendvay u. in District VI, the house was owned by him and his wife. The house was a popular residence in the upper circles of Budapest, and in 1916, for example, the textile manufacturer Leó Goldberger Budai and the painter Gyula Benczúr lived here. Next to the house on Lendvay Street was a summer residence in the 12th district, at 7 Menyét Street.
He was a popular figure in the financial world, and in 1940 the swimmers of the Hitelbank won the Géza Kovács Prize, which was probably founded by the bank's director. In 1922, Governor Miklós Horthy awarded him the rank of Treasury Chief Adviser in recognition of his "merits in the public interest in the field of finance", which means that his activities were also recognised by the government.
He and his wife were good friends with the popular Austrian violinist of the time, Erica Morini, as is shown by the fact that when the artist visited Budapest in 1925, she and her mother stayed with the Kovács family, rather than in a luxury hotel.
Géza Kovács retired from his position as Managing Director of Hitelbank in 1931, aged 63, citing ill health. However, Kovács remained a member of the Board of Directors.
His wife died of illness in 1939. They presumably had no children, since the obituaries of family members, such as the mother of his wife, Józsa Kuffler, did not mention children, while the brother of Józsa Kuffler did, and there was no mention of children in the obituary of his wife, Józsa Kuffler.
The circumstances of Géza Kovács's death are not known. In 1942, Géza Kovács still had a telephone number in his Lendvay Street apartment, and in 1944 he was listed in the Directory of Officers and Roster of Hungary as one of the senior advisors to the Royal Treasury. However, in the 1944 apartment census, where the occupants of each house were listed - in terms of whether they were affected by the Jewish laws - his name was no longer included, even though Kovács was affected by these discriminatory laws. His name is missing from the post-war telephone directories, which means that it is likely that he was an anonymous victim of an event in World War II, either the deportations or the siege.
Points of interest
Kovács's name made the news in 1923 as a victim in an interesting case. He was one of the victims of a notorious burglar of the time, Imre Gombos. The 'master of burglars', as he was called in an article, admitted to several burglaries in Budapest when he was arrested in 1923, one of which he broke into Géza Kovács' home and stole 900 000 crowns worth of clothing.
Literature:
Ödön Geszler: A century and a half between the blue painters and textile printers of Óbuda. The History of the Cotton Mills Factory 1826-1976. 1.
The Encyclopaedia of Hungarian Society (Budapest, 1930)
Born: 1868
Place of birth: Budapest
Date of death: 1944?
Place of death: Budapest?
Occupation: bank manager
Parents: Samuel Kohn
Spouses: Józsa Kuffler (1898-?)
Children:
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Born: 1868
Place of birth: Budapest
Date of death: 1944?
Place of death: Budapest?
Occupation: bank manager
Parents: Samuel Kohn
Spouses: Józsa Kuffler (1898-?)
Children:
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Géza Kovács
Géza Kovács was born in 1868, and in fact not much more was known about him until now, although he was a key figure in Hungarian economic life in the first half of the 20th century.
Géza Kovács's father was not in business, as his father was the Chief Rabbi Samuel Kohn, a renowned historian of his time who researched the history of Judaism in Hungary. His son Géza was born in Budapest in 1868. In 1897-1898 he changed his name to Kovács, because in 1897 he had married Józsa Kuffler, daughter of Lipót Kuffler, landowner of Pade, as Géza Kohn, but at the time of the wedding in 1898 he was already listed as Géza Kovács.
His first job was at the Fiume Oil Refinery Ltd, where he started as a clerk, and from there he joined the Hungarian General Credit Bank. Géza Kovács's profound knowledge of economics was combined with a very good business sense, which enabled him to rise quickly through the ranks, and in 1898, at the time of his wedding, he was already the head of the Hitelbank. He received his appointment as a Royal Councillor from the King in 1911, when he was Chief of the Stock Exchange Department of the Hitelbank, a title he was given 'in recognition of his merits in the field of Hungarian state economy on the occasion of the brilliant success of the recent issue of notes and annuities'. A year later, in 1912, he was appointed a Royal Councillor as a director, and in the following years he rose to the post of managing director of the bank and became a member of its board of directors.
In addition to his position at the General Credit Bank, he was a member of the board of directors of several other companies, for example in 1923 he was elected to the board of directors of the Rokka weaving mill. He was also chairman of the board of directors of "Hermes" Hungarian General Exchange Company, although he was delegated to this company by its founder, the Hitelbank. According to a statistic from 1931, his income was 47 377 pence per annum, and in the late 1930s it was even more, as in 1938 he received 7 931 pence per annum from the cotton manufacturing industry alone.
Géza Kovács lived at 18 Lendvay u. in District VI, the house was owned by him and his wife. The house was a popular residence in the upper circles of Budapest, and in 1916, for example, the textile manufacturer Leó Goldberger Budai and the painter Gyula Benczúr lived here. Next to the house on Lendvay Street was a summer residence in the 12th district, at 7 Menyét Street.
He was a popular figure in the financial world, and in 1940 the swimmers of the Hitelbank won the Géza Kovács Prize, which was probably founded by the bank's director. In 1922, Governor Miklós Horthy awarded him the rank of Treasury Chief Adviser in recognition of his "merits in the public interest in the field of finance", which means that his activities were also recognised by the government.
He and his wife were good friends with the popular Austrian violinist of the time, Erica Morini, as is shown by the fact that when the artist visited Budapest in 1925, she and her mother stayed with the Kovács family, rather than in a luxury hotel.
Géza Kovács retired from his position as Managing Director of Hitelbank in 1931, aged 63, citing ill health. However, Kovács remained a member of the Board of Directors.
His wife died of illness in 1939. They presumably had no children, since the obituaries of family members, such as the mother of his wife, Józsa Kuffler, did not mention children, while the brother of Józsa Kuffler did, and there was no mention of children in the obituary of his wife, Józsa Kuffler.
The circumstances of Géza Kovács's death are not known. In 1942, Géza Kovács still had a telephone number in his Lendvay Street apartment, and in 1944 he was listed in the Directory of Officers and Roster of Hungary as one of the senior advisors to the Royal Treasury. However, in the 1944 apartment census, where the occupants of each house were listed - in terms of whether they were affected by the Jewish laws - his name was no longer included, even though Kovács was affected by these discriminatory laws. His name is missing from the post-war telephone directories, which means that it is likely that he was an anonymous victim of an event in World War II, either the deportations or the siege.
Points of interest
Kovács's name made the news in 1923 as a victim in an interesting case. He was one of the victims of a notorious burglar of the time, Imre Gombos. The 'master of burglars', as he was called in an article, admitted to several burglaries in Budapest when he was arrested in 1923, one of which he broke into Géza Kovács' home and stole 900 000 crowns worth of clothing.
Literature:
Ödön Geszler: A century and a half between the blue painters and textile printers of Óbuda. The History of the Cotton Mills Factory 1826-1976. 1.
The Encyclopaedia of Hungarian Society (Budapest, 1930)