Miklós Kállay
Dr. Miklós Kállay de Nagykálló | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 1941 | |
| Prime Minister of Hungary | |
| In office 9 March 1942 – 22 March 1944 | |
| Regent | Miklós Horthy |
| Preceded by | László Bárdossy |
| Succeeded by | Döme Sztójay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 January 1887 Nyíregyháza, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 14 January 1967 (aged 79) New York City, New York, United States |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Political party | Unity Party/Party of National Unity (1929–1935) Independent (1935–1939) Party of Hungarian Life |
| Spouse(s) | Helén Kállay (1914–1945) Márta Fényes de Csokaly |
| Children | Kristóf Miklós András |
| Parent(s) | András Kállay de Nagykálló Vilma Csuha de Eördöghfalva |
| Profession | Politician |
Miklós Kállay de Nagykálló (23 January 1887 – 14 January 1967) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary during World War II, from 9 March 1942 to 22 March 1944. By early 1942, Hungarian Regent Admiral Miklós Horthy was seeking to put some distance between himself and Hitler's regime. He dismissed the pro-German prime minister, László Bárdossy, and replaced him with Kállay, a moderate whom Horthy expected to loosen Hungary's ties to Germany.
Kállay successfully protected refugees and prisoners, resisted Nazi pressure regarding Jews, established contact with the Allies and negotiated conditions under which Hungary would switch sides against Germany. However, the Allies were not close enough. When the Germans occupied Hungary in March 1944, Kállay went into hiding. He was finally captured by the Nazis but was liberated when the war ended. He went into exile in 1946 and died two decades later in New York City.