Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
SECONDARY SCHOOL AND COLLEGE-THE COLLEGE AND THE DEVELOPING, MODERN EDUCATION SYSTEM - From Orphanage to the Top - Ferenc Finkey
SECONDARY SCHOOL AND COLLEGE 146 Ferenc Finkey blind. Despite the fact that the father, Pál Finkey, had been a well-known and much appreciated teacher in Patak, on account of his early death, his fourth and youngest child had little chance to stand out in any way. But the selfless giving and purpose-oriented upbringing afforded him by his grandmother, their deep faith in God and the stimulating social life of the Dualist period all contributed to Ferenc’s rise, rising not only to the level of his father but exceeding it by far. The future law professor also attended kindergarten, something which was uncommon at that time, especially for a child from a poor family. Fie spent all his school years in Patak. After finishing his secondary education with excellent grades, he enrolled at the Academy of Law. He spent his last semester in Kolozsvár (Cluj today) before receiving his doctorate at age twenty-two. He was always fond of his teachers, particularly Dániel Emődy, Gyula Szánthó and Géza Ballgi and also his father’s friend from Kolozsvár, Győző Concha. Although he wanted to become a judge and had started the necessary training, during his voluntary military service in 1893, he was commissioned to be a substitute teacher for Ferenc Nemes. At just twenty-three years of age, this young man who had followed in his father’s footsteps, became a law teacher. A year later, he was appointed to be a teacher. He became a professor of criminal law but, over the years, he also taught theory of law and general legal subjects as well. He served his alma mater for nineteen years. Then the University of Kolozsvár invited him but three years later, in 1915, pressured by the Ministry, he moved to Pozsony (today Bratislava) where he lectured at the newly-founded department for criminal law. During the closing years of the war, he directed the institution as rector of the Faculty of Humanities and Medicine. However, in the fall of 1921, he was forced to move to Budapest after the Czechs had annulled his contract as a law professor. His teaching career was close to being over, yet for another year he was hired by the University of Szeged. Not being able to find any lodging in Szeged, he had to travel from Budapest to fulfill his duties. From 1923 on, as a pastime, he gave a few lectures at the University of Economics in Pest. He served throughout the Horthy era, not as a teacher, but as a Royal Justice Officer. First he became the deputy royal prosecutor, then he was appointed to head the Supreme Court, finally the governor appointed him to be royal prosecutor in 1935. This last position also made him a member of the Upper Chamber of the Parliament. Shortly after, he was accorded the title of Hungarian Royal Secret Counsellor and was elected to be the chairman of the National Judicial and Lawyer Examination Committee. He officially went into retirement at the age of seventy but even as a pensioner he took on a position, becoming the chairman of the Juvenile Correction and Supervisory Authority in 1942. In final last stage of his life, he and his family nearly became homeless in Budapest. During the siege of the city, their apartment was hit many times and then it was robbed. So amid severe privations, he and his wife returned to Sárospatak. Right up until his last days he remained active, led a creative life and was at peace with his fate and deteriorating health. He passed away at the age of seventy-nine, almost to the day. He had already laid the foundations of his scholarly and professional activities during his years in Sárospatak as a professor. His primary interest was criminal law. Within this, he addressed with special interest the questions
