Pál Szécsi
Pál Szécsi was born in 1865 as Schönberg Pál, the son of Ármin Schönberg, a lawyer. He completed his secondary education at the Lutheran grammar school in Budapest. He and his former classmates set up a 700-kroner foundation 10 years after graduation to reward the students of the grammar school. After high school, although he was interested in a career as an artist and musician, he chose to attend the Budapest Academy of Commerce.
After his studies, he took a position at the M. Torsch Söhne bank in Vienna, from where he was sent to the banker C. H. Kretschmar, a partner of the bank in Berlin, who, recognizing Pál Szécsi's expertise, sent him to Brussels and then to Paris to manage the company's foreign business.
As a result of his rich experience abroad, István Tisza, who was the president of the Hungarian Industrial and Commercial Bank, appointed him as a director of the bank immediately after his return home. In addition, he held senior positions in several companies as early as the 1890s, as in 1892, at the age of 27, he was a member of the board of directors of the Adavidéki közgazdaságibank Aktientársaság, and a year later he became a member of the board of directors of the Körös-Belovár helyi érdekű vasút Aktientársaság and the Csáktornyai tárházak Aktientársaság, while his main job remained at the Magyar Ipar- und Kereskedelmi Bank.
The year 1893 was also important for him in other respects: in May of that year he married Irén Freund, the daughter of Ferenc Freund from Tószeg, and in that year he changed his name to Szécsi. The choice of surname was not accidental, as his brother Ferenc had already changed his name to Szécsi.
He later divorced his wife, as Irén Freund from Tószeg was already the wife of Pál Gárdonyi in 1922. She was a well-known artist and composer of the time, a student of Béla Bartók. As Gárdonyi's wife, she had a serious social life, and although Pál Szécsi left nothing to her in his will, he did mention that he always thought of her fondly.
Pál Szécsi was appointed director of the Hazai Bank in 1906, and during the First World War he was already managing director. During the war, he made substantial donations to the War Orphans' Fund, and later he continued to give to charity, for example, in 1924 he donated 25 000 crowns to the foundations of the Natural Science Society.
Appointed CEO of the Hazai Bank in 1922, his main activity was the management of the industrial companies belonging to the bank. In the same year, Governor Miklós Horthy, together with other banking experts, awarded Pál Szécsi the title of Chief Treasury Advisor. Two years later, in 1924, he was appointed vice-president and general manager of the Hazai Bank.
In 1931, the bank commemorated Szécsi's 25th anniversary, which he celebrated in a very special way, with significant donations, as the Magyar Hírlap of 1 March 1931 wrote:
"The anniversary of Pál Szécsi was turned into a social celebration with the generous donation of his own money to nine institutions by the CEO of Hazai Bank. He donated 100,000 pence for the following purpose: 50,000 pence to the Official Relief Fund of the Patai Bank, 10,000 pence to the National Pension Association of Hungarian Newspaper Writers and 12,000 pence to the Budapest Poor Lung Patients' Sanatorium Association, all three as endowments, and 8,000 pence to the Poor of the Capital of Budapest and the Free Lunch Campaign, 5,000 pence to Mrs. Miklós Horthy's Campaign, 5,000 pence to the Hungarian Revisionist League, 4,000 pence to the Academy of Commerce, 5,000 pence to the Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Association and 1,000 pence to the Charité Polyclinic."
He retired from the Hazai Bank in February 1933 as vice-president and managing director. The Board accepted the announcement and elected a new CEO. Szécsi, in order to maintain his involvement in the management of the bank, was elected chairman.
Szécsi did not retire completely, he retained many of his positions, for example he remained a member of the board of directors of the Pesti Hazai Erste Takarékpénztár, a savings bank since 1924. He did not give up charity either, as in 1933 he made a 4000 pence endowment for the students of the Budapest Commercial Academy (the Academy had three endowments at the time, one of which covered the tuition fees of the poor students, one was made by Károly Erney, a member of the Upper House, the other by Fülöp Weiss, and the third by Szécsi).
Pál Szécsi died in 1948 in Budapest. He had no children, and his inheritance was divided in his will between his nephews and nieces, and a substantial sum was left to his faithful housekeeper.
Interesting facts
In 1903, Szécsi was involved in an interesting press case as director of the Hungarian Bank of Industry and Commerce, when journalist László Fényes claimed that journalists in the capital had been bribed by the bank not to write about the dubious affairs of the bank. József Vészi, Member of Parliament and President of the Association of Journalists in Budapest, launched a press case against the article, in which Szécsi was questioned and claimed not to have known about the bribery.
The portrait of Pál Szécsi was painted by Mária Péter.
Literature
- Miklós Vécsey:One Hundred Precious Hungarians (Budapest, 1931)Pál Szécsi
- Magyar Hirlap, March 1931 (Vol. 41, Nos. 49-73)1931-03-01 / No. 49
Born: 1865
Place of birth: Budapest
Date of death: 1948
Place of death: Budapest
Occupation: bank manager
Parents: Ármin Schönberg
Spouses: tószegi Freund Irén 1893-1921?
Children:
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Born: 1865
Place of birth: Budapest
Date of death: 1948
Place of death: Budapest
Occupation: bank manager
Parents: Ármin Schönberg
Spouses: tószegi Freund Irén 1893-1921?
Children:
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Pál Szécsi
Pál Szécsi was born in 1865 as Schönberg Pál, the son of Ármin Schönberg, a lawyer. He completed his secondary education at the Lutheran grammar school in Budapest. He and his former classmates set up a 700-kroner foundation 10 years after graduation to reward the students of the grammar school. After high school, although he was interested in a career as an artist and musician, he chose to attend the Budapest Academy of Commerce.
After his studies, he took a position at the M. Torsch Söhne bank in Vienna, from where he was sent to the banker C. H. Kretschmar, a partner of the bank in Berlin, who, recognizing Pál Szécsi's expertise, sent him to Brussels and then to Paris to manage the company's foreign business.
As a result of his rich experience abroad, István Tisza, who was the president of the Hungarian Industrial and Commercial Bank, appointed him as a director of the bank immediately after his return home. In addition, he held senior positions in several companies as early as the 1890s, as in 1892, at the age of 27, he was a member of the board of directors of the Adavidéki közgazdaságibank Aktientársaság, and a year later he became a member of the board of directors of the Körös-Belovár helyi érdekű vasút Aktientársaság and the Csáktornyai tárházak Aktientársaság, while his main job remained at the Magyar Ipar- und Kereskedelmi Bank.
The year 1893 was also important for him in other respects: in May of that year he married Irén Freund, the daughter of Ferenc Freund from Tószeg, and in that year he changed his name to Szécsi. The choice of surname was not accidental, as his brother Ferenc had already changed his name to Szécsi.
He later divorced his wife, as Irén Freund from Tószeg was already the wife of Pál Gárdonyi in 1922. She was a well-known artist and composer of the time, a student of Béla Bartók. As Gárdonyi's wife, she had a serious social life, and although Pál Szécsi left nothing to her in his will, he did mention that he always thought of her fondly.
Pál Szécsi was appointed director of the Hazai Bank in 1906, and during the First World War he was already managing director. During the war, he made substantial donations to the War Orphans' Fund, and later he continued to give to charity, for example, in 1924 he donated 25 000 crowns to the foundations of the Natural Science Society.
Appointed CEO of the Hazai Bank in 1922, his main activity was the management of the industrial companies belonging to the bank. In the same year, Governor Miklós Horthy, together with other banking experts, awarded Pál Szécsi the title of Chief Treasury Advisor. Two years later, in 1924, he was appointed vice-president and general manager of the Hazai Bank.
In 1931, the bank commemorated Szécsi's 25th anniversary, which he celebrated in a very special way, with significant donations, as the Magyar Hírlap of 1 March 1931 wrote:
"The anniversary of Pál Szécsi was turned into a social celebration with the generous donation of his own money to nine institutions by the CEO of Hazai Bank. He donated 100,000 pence for the following purpose: 50,000 pence to the Official Relief Fund of the Patai Bank, 10,000 pence to the National Pension Association of Hungarian Newspaper Writers and 12,000 pence to the Budapest Poor Lung Patients' Sanatorium Association, all three as endowments, and 8,000 pence to the Poor of the Capital of Budapest and the Free Lunch Campaign, 5,000 pence to Mrs. Miklós Horthy's Campaign, 5,000 pence to the Hungarian Revisionist League, 4,000 pence to the Academy of Commerce, 5,000 pence to the Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Association and 1,000 pence to the Charité Polyclinic."
He retired from the Hazai Bank in February 1933 as vice-president and managing director. The Board accepted the announcement and elected a new CEO. Szécsi, in order to maintain his involvement in the management of the bank, was elected chairman.
Szécsi did not retire completely, he retained many of his positions, for example he remained a member of the board of directors of the Pesti Hazai Erste Takarékpénztár, a savings bank since 1924. He did not give up charity either, as in 1933 he made a 4000 pence endowment for the students of the Budapest Commercial Academy (the Academy had three endowments at the time, one of which covered the tuition fees of the poor students, one was made by Károly Erney, a member of the Upper House, the other by Fülöp Weiss, and the third by Szécsi).
Pál Szécsi died in 1948 in Budapest. He had no children, and his inheritance was divided in his will between his nephews and nieces, and a substantial sum was left to his faithful housekeeper.
Interesting facts
In 1903, Szécsi was involved in an interesting press case as director of the Hungarian Bank of Industry and Commerce, when journalist László Fényes claimed that journalists in the capital had been bribed by the bank not to write about the dubious affairs of the bank. József Vészi, Member of Parliament and President of the Association of Journalists in Budapest, launched a press case against the article, in which Szécsi was questioned and claimed not to have known about the bribery.
The portrait of Pál Szécsi was painted by Mária Péter.
Literature
- Miklós Vécsey:One Hundred Precious Hungarians (Budapest, 1931)Pál Szécsi
- Magyar Hirlap, March 1931 (Vol. 41, Nos. 49-73)1931-03-01 / No. 49