DEAR, FRANZ, Hungarian politician, was b. in 1803 at Kehida, in the Hungarian co. of Zala. Having studied law at Raab, he began to practice as an advocate in his native county, and soon became noted for his eloquence and enlightened patriotism. Elected in 1832, to the national diet, lie, as leader of the liberal opposition, opposed, by legal and constitutional means, every attempt of the imperial government to infringe on the constitutional rights of his country. This firm and moderate policy enabled him to effect more than one reconciliation between Hungary and the Austrian emperor as her king—temporarily in 1840, and in 1867 more permanently. While upholding the inde• pendence of his country, he labored for its internal improvement, promoting measures for the elevation of the peasantry, and advocating the abolition of the odious exemption from taxes enjoyed by the nobility. His views on this last point displeased the party of the nobles, and for some years after 1840, his county did not return him to the diet. He still, however, continued to guide the councils of the moderate liberal party, and in spite of his aversion to extreme measures, lie promoted the association for national defense, in the view of a possible struggle with Austria. After the revolution of March, 1848, he became minister of justice in the cabinet of count Batthyanyi (q.v.), and had formed the project of effecting a general reform in the administration of justice in Hungary, which, however, the war rendered impossible. D. used every effort to ward off the war, and conic to an arrangement with Austria. On Kossuth's coming into power (Sept. 17, 1848), D. resigned his portfolio, and retained only his place in the diet, In the last months of 1849, at the approach of prince Windischgrutz, he proposed to sue for peace, and was one of the deputies sent for this purpose to the Austrian gen. It is well known that that step failed, and that D. was even for some time a prisoner at Pestli; he then withdrew from public affairs, and retired to his estate. When the Hungarian
revolution was suppressed, he refused the invitation' sent him by M. de Schmerlmg, minister of justice at Vienna, to take part in the legislative conferences, as he disap proved of the Austrian policy with regard to Hungary. He did not return to public life till 1800, when a constitution was granted to his country.
On hearing of the arrest of count Ladislas Mai, D. set out for Vienna with M. Eotvos, and procured the release of his countryman, as well as the promise of an independent Hungarian ministry. Returned by the city of Pesth to the diet in 1861, he became in it the leader of the moderate party, at the same time that the extreme party collected round count Teleki. The death of the latter (8th May) destroyed the only influence which could counterbalance that of D.; and the diet appointed him to draw up the address to the emperor. D. demanded, in that paper, the constitution of 1848, a Hungarian min• istry resident in Pesth, the return, without restriction, of the exiles, and the restitution of their property. Rejected at first by the emperor, this address was again drawn up 'with some modifications in the details; the emperor answered it by a rescript which with difficulty dissimulated his repugnance to such an arrangement, and in his turn, D., in name of the diet, protested publicly against. the imperial rescript. On the 23d, the emperor pronounced the dissolution of the Hungarian diet, which protested anew, under the direction of D., against the illegality of the measure which dispersed them. Among the events consequent on the war between Austria and Prussia in 1866, was the final triumph of D.'s policy in the establishment of a constitutional relation between Hungary and Austria. At a general election in 1869, the results of which were favor able to his policy, D. was, by an overWhelming majority, returned again for the city of Pesth. D. died in 1876. His funeral was a truly national event, and was attended by every Hungarian of note.