László Magasházy

László Magasházy was a military officer who graduated as a cavalry lieutenant in 1905, and later served in the First World War as a commander. In 1919, after the communist revolution in Hungary, he fled to Yugoslavia, from where he led the first detachment of officers to the center of the counter-revolution, in Szeged. Between 1920-29 he served as chief of staff to Miklós Horthy, the governor of Hungary. Between 1925-35, he took part in setting up the 1st Equestrian Artillery Department in Budapest, and served there as a professional officer. From 1935-38, he was the superintendent of horse replacement in the Department of Defense.

In 1932 and 1934 Magasházy won the Hungarian Championship in dressage. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics he finished 17th in individual dressage and sixth with the team. In recognition of his achievements with the dressage team, the Hungarian Minister of Defense honored him after the Olympics.

Magasházy was promoted to general in 1937 but retired in November 1938. He also took an active part in political life, as between 1938 and 1944 he became a Member of Parliament. After World War II, in 1946, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, but he received a posthumous pardon in 1990.