András Somodi

András Somodi was an excellent jumper like his elder brother István without achieving similar success. In 1912, András was entered for two jumping events at the Stockholm Olympics but did not start. András Somodi was much better known and more successful as a skater, in speed skating but particularly in figure skating. He entered podiums in figure skating beginning in 1905 and won several regional championships in the men’s event. In 1910, he was also engaged in one of the first ice hockey matches in Cluj. In the 1930s, Somodi acted as a judge, even at the international level, and became a member of the board of the – now Romanian – Skating Association.

On a professional level, he earned degrees in law and economics from the University of Cluj and started his career as municipal clerk for the city of Cluj. In the 1930s, he was publisher and managing director of Hungarian minority newspapers including Ellenzék, Keleti Újság, and Magyar Újság. He still had responsibility for tasks of the city government.

When Transylvania became part of Hungary again in 1940, he was appointed director and later executive president of the Agricultural Bank and Savings Bank. In this position, he also held positions in boards of other companies including the National Social Insurance Institute and the Ursus Brewery. During World War II, he also managed the city’s food supply. After the war, the Romanian communist leadership later branded him an exploiter and denied him a pension, forcing him to work as a skating coach.