WEKERLE, ALEXANDER (1545—).
An Hungarian political leader, born at Moor, in the County of Stuhlweissenburg. After pursu ing the study of law he received a post in the Ministry of Finance in 1870, holding at the same time the position of privat-docent in financial and administrative law at the University of Budapest. Ile bream' Ministerial Conneilor in 1884 and two years late• was made Under-Sce retary of State iu the Ministry of Finance and was elected to the Lower House of the Diet. In 1889 he was summoned by Koloman Tisza to the office of Minister of Finance. to the of which lie devoted himself with such suceess that in the following yeas• he was able to submit to the national legislature a budget minus the clas sic delleit. This he was enabled to (4'41 through a skillful reconversion of the public debt. Ile also dealt successfully with the problems of ex vise, monopolies. and the regulation if the coinage. In N'oveniber, 1892, lie succeeded Szapilry as president of the Ministerial Connell and made the chief feature of his programme the enactments of legislation looking toward the es tablishment of a more liberal rcgiuie in religious affairs. Laws providing, among other things, for
the recognition of the Jewish religion, making civil marriage compulsory, and leaving the re ligious education of ehildren of mixed marriages to the decision of the parents were passed by large majorities in the Lower House, but met with the most determined opposition in the Table of Magnates. After a protracted struggle, in the course of which Wekerle enlisted on his side the support of the Crown. the Magnates were com pelled to give their assent to the greater part of the Ministerial programme. Recognition of the Jewish faith, however, was refused. In spite of his victory, \Ceke•le found his position untenable, owing to the hostility of the Court, and resigned in December, 1894, but remained in office till the following January. when he was succeeded by Bantry. in 1897 lie was made president of the Hungarian Court of Administration.