VADÁSZ, LIPÓT

VADÁSZ, LIPÓT (1861–1924), Hungarian lawyer and politician. Born in Kisvárda, Vadász practiced law for a short time, and became a deputy in the lower house of the Hungarian parliament in 1910. In 1913 he was appointed undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Justice and was a close adviser of Count Stephan Tisza, the "strong man" of Hungary. During World War I Vadász was responsible for restrictive wartime legislation and the law on parliamentary prerogatives became known as "Lex Vadász." He also collaborated in preparing a new Hungarian civil code. Tisza's failure to obtain public support during the war led Vadász to retire from public life and return to private practice. He was active in Jewish communal affairs and president of the Hungarian Jewish Literary Society. Vadász gained a considerable reputation as an orator and his principal speeches were published under the title Vadász Lipot Beszédei (1925). (Josef J. Lador-Lederer)