Francis B. Bessenyey

HAMILTON - Francis Bakach-Bessenyey died in Hamilton, Montana on December 18th, 2012. Born May 5, 1925 in Budapest, Hungary, Francis Bessenyey was trained as a lawyer, had careers as a banker and a rancher, was head of the Hungarian Knights of Malta, was an accomplished linguist, amateur historian, musician, and, above all, a loved and loving husband and father.

Baron Francis Bessenyey was the son of Baron and Baroness Gyorgy and Giselle (Bene) Bessenyey. His father was, among other things, the Hungarian Secretary of State in exile until the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

While a law student in Lausanne, Switzerland, where his family quickly moved when the Germans invaded Hungary years earlier, he married fellow Hungarian Eva Barcza on November 23, 1946. Francis and Eva originally did not like each other, but their shared exile drew them close.

Unable to return home to Hungary after WWII, Francis and Eva Bessenyey immigrated to the United States in 1946. Francis worked in the financial field, first with Alexander Kremer and Co., then with J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation as Senior Vice President in charge of European business and the relationship with central banking institutions. While at Schroder's, he was honored to be the principal banker for several countries. He capped his successful banking career as President of the M.T.B. Banking Corporation.

Francis was Vice President of the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Austrian and the Belgian Chambers of Commerce and President of the American Portuguese Society. The Portuguese government decorated him with the Grand Cross as Commander of the Order of Henry the Navigator.

A Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted to the rank of Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion, he was President of the Hungarian Association of the Maltese. In this capacity, he guided the Hungarian charitable operations of the Maltese. This work was vastly complicated by the Russian occupation of Hungary from 1946 until 1989.

In the 1980s, he inherited from his stepmother, Countess Margit Sigray, the historic Bitter Root Stock Farm in Hamilton, Montana. The Countess was the granddaughter of copper king Marcus Daly, who established the ranch in 1886. In addition to continuing cattle and haying operations, she used the ranch to help re-establish the line of Hungarian warm-blood horses that had been devastated by military service in WWII. Francis then became a rancher, continuing to run cattle and breed horses, with the invaluable assistance and support of Russ Habel, ranch manager.

As an avid historian, he was always interested in world affairs and diplomacy. As a numismatist, he created what may be the most significant collection of historical Hungarian coins outside of a museum. He was charming and elegant, a true gentleman, kind and polite to all. Like his wife, Francis was a skilled linguist, mastering over six languages during his lifetime. Francis and Eva raised their children in New York City, using Hungarian one day and French the next; his children did not learn English until they started school, confusing an untold number of teachers.

He could also sing and play guitar. One memorable evening around a campfire in Montana, he played folks songs from seven different cultures in seven different languages. He loved travelling, horseback riding and skiing with his kids and grandkids and spending time at a family cabin in Vermont.

In line with his passion for the Bitter Root Valley, Francis was a strong supporter of the Daly Mansion, the Bitter Root Land Trust and the Ravalli County Museum.

Above all, he was a caring, loving father who will be sorely missed.

He is survived by his sister, Eva Bessenyey of New York, NY, three daughters: Margit of Tampa, FL, Ilona of Anchorage, AK, married to Peter Van Tuyn and Kristina, of Hamilton, MT, married to Clint Adkins, as well as four grandchildren: Merrick, Alina, Marielle and Liszka.

Memorial donations may be made in Francis's name to the Hungarian Knights of Malta, PO Box 31136, Bethesda MD 20824, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Attn: Pat Warbritton, 5100 W. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 195, Tampa, FL 33609, or VISIONS at Selis Manor, Ann De Shazo, Director, 135 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011.