Artur Görgei, Görgey

* Toporc, January 30, 1818 – † Budapest, May 21, 1916 / chemist, army general, minister of war; ; He himself wrote his name as Görgei in his will, but the form Görgey appears in many places. His father married a lower-ranking person, so the family struggled with constant financial problems. He began his studies in Késmárk and, at his father's request, entered the military career. In 1832–1836, he was a student at the Tulln Academy, then served in various places for years. On July 31, 1845, he left the army and enrolled in the Charles Ferdinand University in Prague, where he studied chemistry as a student of Professor Josef Redtenbacher (1810–1870). He also conducted research in the field of fatty acids and succeeded in detecting a previously unknown compound in coconut oil, the 12-carbon lauric acid, which he called pichuric acid, but the name lauric acid became widespread after the French chemist Marsson found it in laurel oil shortly afterwards. His paper on this was published in two prestigious German journals. However, his promising scientific career was cut short by historical events, although in the spring of 1848 he approached József Eötvös with the intention of teaching chemistry at the University of Pest. In May 1848, however, he was already busy organizing the defense forces. His military career quickly rose, and in the summer of 1849 he became the commander-in-chief of the Hungarian armies, and in this capacity he was given the thankless task of laying down his arms before the Russians at Világos. Later, Kossuth himself called him a traitor for this reason, and this completely unfounded opinion was quite widespread even in the 20th century. He was interned in Klagenfurt between 1849 and 1867, and only returned to Hungary after the 1867 Compromise. During his forced stay in Austria, he primarily wanted to work in chemistry, but his various requests were rejected, and his patrons failed to intercede on his behalf. This desire was not fulfilled in Hungary either, so he spent his retirement years gardening, living with his family in his brother's house in Visegrád. Károly Than, the distinguished chemist, held Görgei in high regard and is included in the publication published in the USA that also introduces the 12 most important Hungarian chemists. ; ; His main works: ; My Life and Work in Hungary I–II), 1852 (in Hungarian: My Life and Work I–II., 1911), Letters of the Landless, 1867.