Pozsonyi József: A semsei Semsey család története (Régi magyar családok 1. Debrecen, 2002.)
Summary
fact that the owner of the coat-of-arms achieved distinction in defense of Christian Europe and the Catholic faith. During the Middle Ages, several descendants fought in the wars of independence against the Turks, in the freedom fight and war of independence initiated by Thököly and Rákóczi and, finally, in the revolution and war of independence of 1848-49. Among the Semseys, quite a few acted as sponsors and supporters of science and culture during the course of several centuries. The most outstanding member of the family, Andor Semsey, was one of the most significant patrons of Hungarian science and culture. An enthusiastic researcher in the fields of geology and mineralogy, he funded the establishment and the development of Fővárosi Állatkert [The Zoological Garden of the Capital City] and Magyar All ami Földtani Intézet [The Hungarian State Institute of Geology], financed the torsion pendulum experiments for measuring geomagnetism that were conducted by Lóránd Eötvös during the first decade of the 20 th century, founded and upgraded the libraries and research laboratories of several scientific institutes, sponsored scientific and sample collecting field trips, etc. The minerals semseyite and andorite were named in his honor. One of the branches of the Semsey family gained the title of counts at the very beginning of the 20 th century. A member of this branch, László Semsey was commissioned by the emperor to act as the master of ceremonies at the millennial series of events celebrating the 1000 th anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian State. As a Member of Parliament, he initiated the efforts to return the ashes of Ferenc Rákóczi II from Turkey to Hungary. He also established the basis for the treatment of cancer in Hungary through his donations contributing to that cause at the end of the 1920s. His son, Andor Semsey, who served in the diplomatic corps, was the mastermind behind the so-called Semsey-Halmos-Csáky Plan, and he also acted as one of the Hungarian delegates at the secret peace treaties in Versailles after the 1 st World War. As of the middle of the 19 th century, the Semseys moved from the settlements they had owned for centuries in Ahaúj, Sáros and Hajdú
