Boundless History: 1831 – The Hungarian Learned Society adopts the motto “Sunshine After Rain”. The institution’s first General Assembly

The list of members of the Hungarian Society of Sciences’ governing council was approved by the monarch in the summer of 1830. József Teleki became President and István Széchenyi became Vice-President. In addition to the four founding members ‒ Széchenyi, György Andrássy, György Károlyi and Ábrahám Vay ‒ another 21 individuals were elected to the governing council.

On 17 November 1830, the governing council elected the Society’s first full members; originally, 27 scholars were to be admitted to the body, but four positions in the mathematics and law sections could not be filled, and consequently 23 full members were elected. In December, the text of the statutes was finalised, and royal approval was granted in March 1831.

The Learned Society held three types of meetings: an annual General Assembly lasting several days, annual meetings of the governing council, and weekly smaller meetings. Minutes were kept for each of these meetings, which are now housed in the Manuscript Collection of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Even before the Society’s first General Assembly, work had begun on the design of its coat of arms and motto, both of which reflected Széchenyi’s vision. The coat of arms was designed by Széchenyi himself, and the Viennese painter Johann Nepomuk Ender produced the final image on the basis of his sketch. It depicts Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth, with an eagle drinking from a cup raised in her right hand, while her left hand rests upon a shield bearing the national coat of arms.

The coat of arms proposed by Széchenyi was adopted at the meeting of 27 December 1831, where the Society’s motto was also selected. Among numerous options, “Borúra derű” (“Sunshine after Rain”) received the most votes, a phrase suggesting hopefulness and optimism. The phrase appears in the works of several writers and poets, from Horace through William Langland to Mihály Vörösmarty, and it also appears in Széchenyi’s own writings in reference to Vörösmarty.

The first General Assembly of the Learned Society was held between 14‒24 February 1831, under the chairmanship of József Teleki, at which sixteen honorary members and twenty corresponding members from Hungary were elected. In accordance with the objectives laid out in the statutes, the President organised the work of the Society by dividing members into four committees: one concerned with “grammar and dictionary matters”, one responsible for “arranging the publication of yearbooks”, one tasked with “editing the journal”, and one responsible for “prize competitions and the selection of works deserving recognition among those published”. The first General Assembly was also tasked with electing the Society’s officers: Gábor Döbrentei was appointed Secretary, Ferenc Toldy became Assistant Secretary and Archivist, Mihály Helmeczy was elected Treasurer, and Széchenyi, in addition to serving as Vice-President, temporarily assumed the role of Auditor, supervising the Society’s budget jointly with the Treasurer.