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Summarizing Ádám Schwarczwölder’s lecture:

One of the most consequential politicians of the Era of the Dual Monarchy, Kálmán Széll (1843–1915) enjoyed a meteoric rise. Elected MP for Szentgotthárd in 1868, by the time he turned 32, he was Finance Minister in the cabinet of Kálmán Tisza. He reached the pinnacle of politics when he served as Prime Minister of Hungary between 1899 and 1903. Although overshadowed by his older brother, Ignác Széll (1845–1914) also enjoyed what could be considered as a successful career. He worked as a registrar, noble judge and between 1877 and 1883, deputy sheriff for Vas County. At Kálmán Tisza’s request, he joined the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, where he had been promoted to the position of State Secretary by 1895 and stayed, irrespective of which government was in power, until retirement in 1906. According to his son József Széll, who was Minister of Domestic Affairs in 1937–1938, the fact that he had never become Minister was not due to a dearth of opportunity, but rather his complete lack of desire. Other sources also testify to the stark contrast in the two brothers’ personalities. Compared to his agile and proud brother, Ignác Széll was rigid and humble. Do these traits alone provide the explanation for why their careers diverged? How much did Kálmán Széll’s marriage to Ilona Vörösmarty (Ferenc Deák’s ward) help his career take off? Despite their differing personalities, how well did the brothers work together and to what extent did they support each other in their public and private lives? The lecture attempts to answer these and other questions.