Kádár, János (1912-1989)

Kádár, János

STATESMAN, POLITICIAN (AUSTRIAN EMPIRE)

BORN 26 May 1912, Fiume (now: Rijeka) - DIED 6 Jul 1989, Budapest
BIRTH NAME Csermanek, János
GRAVE LOCATION Budapest: Kerepesi cemetery (12 közép)

János Kádár came from a poor family of peasants. In 1931 he joined the illegal Communist Party in Hungary and in 1933 he received a jail sentence of two years. In 1937 he was convicted to three more years in prison.

After his release, he and László Rajk were the leading figure in the Communist movement under the pseudonym János Kádár. In 1944 he was arrested again and sent to a concentration camp, but he escaped and returned to Budapest.

After the war he became head of the police in Budapest and in 1949 he was appointed Minister of the Interior. He had a hand in a trial against László Rajk that led to the latter's execution. But soon he was on trial himself for spying for Horty's police in earlier years. The accusations were false, but he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

After Stalin's death in 1954 he was released and from after the Hungarian revolution of 1956 was crushed by the Soviets he was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers and General Secretary (until 1958) of the Communist Party (until 1988). Effectively he was in power from 1956 to 1958 and from 1960 to 1988. In 1988 Hungary was in economic trouble and his health detoriated. He was replaced by Károly Grósz and he died in 1989 in Budapest.

In 2007 his grave at the Kerepesi Cemetery was vandalized and his skull and several bones were stolen. The urn of his wife Mária Tamáska also disappeared. Nearby a note was found that stated that murderers and traitors were not allowed to rest in holy ground.

Images

The grave of János Kádár at the Kerepesi Cemetery, Budapest.
Picture by Androom (20 Aug 2002)