Deák, FRANCIS, Hungarian politician, was born in 1803 at Kehida, in the district of Szalad, where, after a course of legal study at Raab, he practised as an advocate, until returned as its representative to the national diet in 1832. Here he soon took his place as leader of the liberal opposition, and by his firm and moderate policy effected reconciliations between Hungary and the Austrian emperor as her king—temporarily in 1840, and more permanently in 1867. After the revolution of March 1848 he became Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Count Batthyanyi, and made every effort to ward off the inevitable war. On Kossuth's coming into power (September 1848), Deák resigned his portfolio, and after the unsuccessful attempt next year at negotiation, withdrew from public affairs, and retired to his estate. He refused to return to public life till 1860, when a constitution was granted to his country.
Returned by Pesth to the diet in 1861, he again became the leader of the moderate party, while the extreme party collected round Count Tétéki. The death of the latter (8th May) destroyed the only influence which could counterbalance that of Deák; and the diet appointed him to draw up the address to the emperor demanding the constitution of 1848, a Hungarian ministry resident in Pesth, the return, without restriction, of the exiles, and the restitution of their property. The emperor answered it by a hostile rescript, against which Deák protested strongly. Out of the humiliation of Austria in 1866 came the triumph of Deák's policy. He asked nothing more than before, and thus his wise and statesmanlike moderation effected a satisfactory constitutional relation between Austria and Hungary in the dual system of monarchy. Deák's party was all-powerful, but he lived to see the rise of a more advanced party under the leadership of Tisza. He died at Buda-Pesth, January 29, 1876. See Memoir, with preface by Grant-Duff (1880).