Gaszton Gaál

Who was Gaszton Gaál?

Gaszton Gaál de Gyula was a Hungarian landowner, ornithologist and politician, who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary between 1921 and 1922.

He was a member of the Diet of Hungary session from 1906 to 1910. During the Hungarian Soviet Republic his lands were nationalized. An arrest warrant issued against him in May, he was hiding in Somogy County and Zala County. After the fall of the communist regime he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Somogy County by the government of István Friedrich. He resigned in 1920 from this position.

He became a member of the National Assembly in 1920 with the National Smallholders' Party. After the resignation of István Rakovszky he was nominated for the position of Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary. His party merged with the KNEP in 1922 so he joined to the newly formed Unity Party. Soon he quit the party because of the cabinet of István Bethlen's planned tax measures and became an independent MP. He founded along with three representatives the Agrarian Party and became a deputy again. His organisation was merged to the Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party in 1930. He was the second leader of the long-established party. He died in Balatonboglár after a short illness.