Károly Eötvös

Born in Mezőszentgyörgy on March 11, 1842, Károly Eötvös became a Hungarian lawyer, writer, journalist, and politician. After studying law in Budapest, he worked in Veszprém and gradually built a reputation as both a public figure and a compelling prose stylist.

He is most widely associated with the Tiszaeszlár trial of 1883, in which he served as defense counsel in one of the best-known anti-Semitic cases of his era. The case later shaped his reputation far beyond the courtroom, and he wrote about it in a book that helped preserve his account for later readers.

Alongside his legal and political career, Eötvös was admired for conversational, anecdotal writing that drew on personal memory, public affairs, and Hungarian society. He died in Budapest on April 13, 1916, leaving behind a body of work that keeps him interesting not only as a historical figure, but also as a vivid literary voice.