Jozef Miloslav Hurban

Jozef Miloslav Hurban (19 March 1817, Beckov, Kingdom of Hungary – 21 February 1886, Hlboké, Kingdom of Hungary), pseudonyms Slavomil F. Kořennatý, Ľudovít Pavlovič, M. z Bohuslavíc, M. Selovský, was a leader of the Slovak National Council and the Slovak Uprising in 1848/1849, a Slovak writer, journalist, politician, organizer of Slovak cultural life and a Protestant priest. He first supported Ján Kollár, but later turned to Ľudovít Štúr. His son Svetozár Hurban-Vajanský followed his father's footsteps both as a writer and nationalist.

The city of Hurbanovo in southern Slovakia and asteroid 3730 Hurban are named after him.

Born in a family of an evangelic priest Paul Hurban and his wife Anna, née Vörösová, baptized as Joseph Louis. He had an older sister Teresa Susan, who, like he was born in Beckove. He attended the town school in Trencin, then in the years 1830 - 1840 Evangelical Lyceum in Bratislava. Here he met with Louis Stur, which awakened patriotic sentiments. He was ordained a priest in 1840. He wanted to continue his studies in Germany, but for financial reasons had to start work at first, until a he could afford study. After ordination, he served as an evangelical chaplain in Brezova, from 1843 he was a priest in Hlboké. In 1860 he completed further education and earned his Ing., ThDr. h. c. from 1866 was superintendent of the Slovak Evangelical Church patentálnej. He married Anna Jurkovičová, with whom he had four daughters and five sons (among them was the writer Svetozár Hurban-Vajanský).

Jozef Miloslav Hurban, headed Slovak literature and public life for nearly half a century. He was an uncompromising fighter for the national rights of the Slovaks, implacable enemy of Hungarian ruling class and the pioneer of Slavic mutuality. Especially in his younger years was among Slovak radical opponents of feudalism and the domination of parasitic aristocratic layers in Hungary.

"For his uncompromising action was pronounced a traitor and communist agitator. Also he laid the foundations of Slovak literary historiography. With the nationalist Tatrína he was co-founder of Slovak Theatre in Nitra. Hurban became known as a poet, publisher of literary almanacs, as publisher and editor of religious magazines. His work has been multifaceted: národnoobranná, ľudovýchovný, literary-historical, critical, educational and journalistic.