Ferenc Erdei was a 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...

 politician, who served as Interior Minister in the unofficial Interim government which led by Béla Miklós

Béla Miklós

Knight Béla Miklós de Dálnok was a Hungarian military officer and politician who served as acting Prime Minister of Hungary, at first in opposition, and then officially, from 1944 to 1945.-Early career:...

. After the Soviet occupation of Hungary

Soviet occupation of Hungary

The Soviet occupation of Hungary, followed the defeat of Hungary in World War II, lasted for 45 years ending in 1991 shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union -World War II:...

 the cabinet could take the office officially (March 1945). During the communist rule Erdei was the Minister of Agriculture between 1949 and 1953. Like this he was responsible for the "attic sweepings" and happenings in the villages, on country in connection with atrocities. From July 1953 he worked as Minister of Justice.

He was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister

A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...

 during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he was one of the leaders of the Hungarian delegation who negotiated with the Soviets. In 3 November he was arrested together with Minister of Defence Pál Maléter

Pál Maléter

Pál Maléter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today part of Slovakia. He was the military leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution....

, but after some weeks Erdei could left freely because of János Kádár

János Kádár

János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...

's intervention.

From 1957 he was the Secretary-General of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...

. He received Kossuth Prize

Kossuth Prize

The Kossuth Prize is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionary Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and group achievements in the fields of...

twice (1948 and 1962).

Erdei also was Secretary-General of the National Council of the Patriotic People's Front between 1964 and 1970.