Magyar Posta is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Count Menyhért Lónyay by issuing a special stamp. The new issue designed by the graphic artist Barnabás Baticz was produced by ANY Security Printing Company, and will be available at first day post offices and Filaposta in Hungary and may also be ordered from Magyar Posta’s online store from 1 July 2022.
Dr Menyhért Lónyay, Count de Nagylónya et Vásárosnamény, (Nagylónya, 6 January 1822 - Budapest, 3 November 1884) was a Hungarian aristocratic politician from the Lónyay family. He was first elected as a member of the Hungarian Diet in 1843 and, in 1849, he became State Secretary for Finance in the government of Bertalan Szemere. He then returned as a member of the Diet from 1861 onwards. He played a major role in the preparation of the 1868 Compromise between Austria and Hungary, and was appointed Hungarian Minister of Finance in the government of Gyula Andrássy. During his ministry, the Customs and Excise Department was formed and he established the practice of the budget. His programme included reducing the tax burden and encouraging investment beneficial to the state. On 21 May 1870, he was appointed Minister of Finance of Austria-Hungary and moved his base to Vienna. On 3 August 1871, he was made a count by Emperor Franz Joseph. At the end of 1871, he became Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary, but was forced to resign on 2 December 1872 due to continued attacks by the opposition. He became a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1858 and its president from 1871 until his death. In 1880, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in political science from the University of Budapest.
As president of the Felsőszabolcs River Tisza Management Company, he played a role in the flood control of the river Tisza, and later the Lónyay main canal was named after him. His name is associated with the construction of the Nyíregyháza-Ungvár railway line and he also served as the chief administrator of the Dunamellék Reformed Church District. An oil painting of Count Menyhért Lónyay by Gyula Benczúr, his coat of arms, and the building of the Lónyay Mansion in Tuzsér are shown on the stamp. A lithograph of Menyhért Lónyay by Miklós Barabás and the logo of the bicentenary year appear on the commemorative first day cover. The design of the special postmark features the signature of Count Menyhért Lónyay.
