András Simonyi
Encyclopedia
h.e.
Mr. András Simonyi (16 May 1952) was the Hungarian
ambassador
to the United States
between 2002 and 2007. He was succeeded by Ferenc Somogyi
.
He represented the interests of The Republic of Hungary
, its government
, and people
to the government and people of the United States. Simonyi was appointed ambassador in 2002 under the administration of Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy
. On 25 September 2002 he appeared in the Oval Office
before United States President George W. Bush
to present his credentials as ambassador. He replaced "font-variant:small-caps">h.e. Ambassador Géza Jeszenszky
, who left office in August, 2002.
He is perhaps better known to some Americans than other European ambassadors because of a number of appearances on The Colbert Report, a satirical political show on American cable television.
András Simonyi is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
.
. As a four-year-old, he witnessed Soviet tanks roll past his home during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
. In 1961 Simony's father's profession as a textile engineer brought the family to Copenhagen, Denmark
, where they would live for five years. In Denmark
Simonyi attended British
-run international-school and Danish government school
, learning Danish
and English
. He also began a life-long devotion to the global music scene of such US-based styles
as Blues
and Rock'nRoll
.
Simonyi majored in transport economics
at the Karl Marx University of Economics
in Budapest. He graduated in 1975, writing his thesis on Denmark's security policy
in the 20th century.
countries. This work brought him into contact with the American Council of Young Political Leaders. From 1984 to 1989 he worked for the Socialist Workers Party in Hungary
in the foreign relations
departments.
(which he was seen playing on an April 2007 episode of The Colbert Report). As a young man he listened to Radio Free Europe
and Radio Luxembourg
. In 1970, he started his own band. He has expressed his opinion that Rock'n Roll
was a key factor to loosening the tight totalitarian
grip behind the iron curtain
. His Washington based band the Coalition of the Willing has guitar great Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (formerly Steely Dan and Doobie Bros.)on guitar, Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman on guitar, Ambassador Alexander "Sandy" Vershbow on drums, and Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield on bass.
He is featured along with GoodTime Charlie Lewis on living legend Jerry Miller's (of the legendary original Moby Grape) 2006 Best of Friends CD. He is married and has two children.
On 9 August 2006, the character Stephen Colbert
, (played by Stephen Colbert the actor
) announced on his political talk-show
The Colbert Report (airing on the cable
channel Comedy Central
in the United States
) that the Ministry
of Transport of Hungary
The Ministry of Transport of Hungary was soliciting suggestions for the name of a new bridge to be built over the Danube River
north of Budapest
, completing the M0 motorway-loop
around the city.
On 14 September 2006 Ambassador Simonyi appeared on the American
cable television
channel Comedy Central
's The Colbert Report to discuss a new bridge under construction in Hungary. The since-named Megyeri Bridge, completed in 2008, spans the River Danube
just north of Budapest
. Colbert (a U.S. citizen
) had hoped the Hungarian government would name the innovative bridge
after him, leading to the Ambassador's appearance on the show.
Voting was taking place in an online poll on the Ministry's website. On 8 August 2006 the newswire
service Reuters
had reported that Chuck Norris
was the leading candidate.
He reappeared on the 10 April 2007 episode, in response to comments Colbert claimed to have made on his supposed radio show, Colbert on the Ert, about Hungarians' lack of guitar playing talent, in a parody of Don Imus
' recent comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. After referring to the alleged scandal throughout the episode, the ambassador appeared suddenly in the tag playing an electric guitar live. After Simonyi offered Colbert the Hungarian-made eagle-headed guitar, Colbert apologized, they both agreed that the Finnish could not play guitar, and Simonyi played as the show went to credits.
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
Mr. András Simonyi (16 May 1952) was the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 2002 and 2007. He was succeeded by Ferenc Somogyi
Ferenc Somogyi
Ferenc Somogyi is a former Hungarian Ambassador to the United States.-Career:A former businessman, he is a member of the Hungarian Socialist Party and served as foreign minister from November 1, 2004 until a cabinet shuffle in June 2006. His appointment to that position was announced in September...
.
He represented the interests of The Republic of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, its government
Politics of Hungary
Politics of Hungary takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The Prime Minister is the head of government of a pluriform multi-party system, while the President is the head of state and holds a largely ceremonial position.Executive power is exercised by the...
, and people
Demographics of Hungary
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Hungary, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.-Historical:...
to the government and people of the United States. Simonyi was appointed ambassador in 2002 under the administration of Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy
Péter Medgyessy
Péter Medgyessy is a Hungarian politician and was the fifth Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary from May 27, 2002 until September 29, 2004...
. On 25 September 2002 he appeared in the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
before United States President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to present his credentials as ambassador. He replaced "font-variant:small-caps">h.e. Ambassador Géza Jeszenszky
Géza Jeszenszky
Géza Jeszenszky is a Hungarian politician and associate professor, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and ambassador to the United States. He is currently appointed ambassador of Hungary to Norway.-Family:...
, who left office in August, 2002.
He is perhaps better known to some Americans than other European ambassadors because of a number of appearances on The Colbert Report, a satirical political show on American cable television.
András Simonyi is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Berlin. Founded in 1999 by Mark Donfried, its activities focus on promoting and developing the field of cultural diplomacy by conducting research, initiatives and programs, holding...
.
Early life
Simonyi was born 16 May 1952 in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. As a four-year-old, he witnessed Soviet tanks roll past his home during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
1956 Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution or Uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956....
. In 1961 Simony's father's profession as a textile engineer brought the family to Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, where they would live for five years. In Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Simonyi attended British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-run international-school and Danish government school
Education in Denmark
Education in Denmark is compulsory for children below 15 or 16. The school years up to the age of fifteen/sixteen are known as Folkeskole . About 82% of young people take further education in addition to this. Government-funded education is usually free of charge and open to all...
, learning Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He also began a life-long devotion to the global music scene of such US-based styles
Music of the United States
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the...
as Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and Rock'nRoll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
.
Simonyi majored in transport economics
Transport economics
Transport economics is a branch of economics that deals with the allocation of resources within the transport sector and has strong linkages with civil engineering. Transport economics differs from some other branches of economics in that the assumption of a spaceless, instantaneous economy does...
at the Karl Marx University of Economics
Corvinus University of Budapest
The Corvinus University of Budapest is one of the most prestigious Hungarian universities located in Budapest, Hungary. The university offers degrees in multiple disciplines, but it is characterised by its programmes in economics and management. -History:...
in Budapest. He graduated in 1975, writing his thesis on Denmark's security policy
Ministry of Defence (Denmark)
The Ministry of Defence of Denmark is a ministry in the Danish government. It is charged with overall planning, development, and strategic guidance of the entire area of responsibility of the Danish Defence minister, including the armed forces and the emergency management sector...
in the 20th century.
Early career
After university, Simonyi worked with many youth exchange programs - in the State Committee for Youth, in the bureau of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), a a "frontline" organization speaking out against the imperialist practices of capitalst countries and of NATO, but with a special interest in forging ties between youth organizations of the East and the West, a result of detente, to span from nato to Eastern BlocEastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries. This work brought him into contact with the American Council of Young Political Leaders. From 1984 to 1989 he worked for the Socialist Workers Party in Hungary
Hungarian Socialist Party
The Hungarian Socialist Party describes itself as a social democratic party in Hungary. It is the partial successor of the communist Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party , which ruled Hungary between 1956 and 1989. The decision to declare the party a successor of the MSZMP was controversial, and...
in the foreign relations
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
departments.
Music and personal life
Simonyi is an enormous music fan. He loves to play the electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(which he was seen playing on an April 2007 episode of The Colbert Report). As a young man he listened to Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
and Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
. In 1970, he started his own band. He has expressed his opinion that Rock'n Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
was a key factor to loosening the tight totalitarian
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
grip behind the iron curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
. His Washington based band the Coalition of the Willing has guitar great Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (formerly Steely Dan and Doobie Bros.)on guitar, Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman on guitar, Ambassador Alexander "Sandy" Vershbow on drums, and Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield on bass.
He is featured along with GoodTime Charlie Lewis on living legend Jerry Miller's (of the legendary original Moby Grape) 2006 Best of Friends CD. He is married and has two children.
Appearances on The Colbert Report
- Main article: The Colbert Report: Hungarian bridge campaign
On 9 August 2006, the character Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert (character)
The Reverend / Sir / Dr. / Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A., brain-child of Google, is the persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot", the character is a self-obsessed right-wing...
, (played by Stephen Colbert the actor
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
) announced on his political talk-show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
The Colbert Report (airing on the cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) that the Ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of Transport of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
The Ministry of Transport of Hungary was soliciting suggestions for the name of a new bridge to be built over the Danube River
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
north of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, completing the M0 motorway-loop
M0 motorway (Hungary)
The M0 motorway is a ringroad around Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The ring presently connects motorways M1, M7, M6, M5, M4, M3, M2, connecting currently to Highway 11. The southern section of the ringroad currently does not comply with formal motorway specifications. The whole length of the...
around the city.
On 14 September 2006 Ambassador Simonyi appeared on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's The Colbert Report to discuss a new bridge under construction in Hungary. The since-named Megyeri Bridge, completed in 2008, spans the River Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
just north of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Colbert (a U.S. citizen
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
) had hoped the Hungarian government would name the innovative bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
after him, leading to the Ambassador's appearance on the show.
Voting was taking place in an online poll on the Ministry's website. On 8 August 2006 the newswire
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
service Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
had reported that Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
was the leading candidate.
He reappeared on the 10 April 2007 episode, in response to comments Colbert claimed to have made on his supposed radio show, Colbert on the Ert, about Hungarians' lack of guitar playing talent, in a parody of Don Imus
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
' recent comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. After referring to the alleged scandal throughout the episode, the ambassador appeared suddenly in the tag playing an electric guitar live. After Simonyi offered Colbert the Hungarian-made eagle-headed guitar, Colbert apologized, they both agreed that the Finnish could not play guitar, and Simonyi played as the show went to credits.