Aladar Hugo Hamborsky (1892-1954)

From the South Bend Tribune, October 31, 1926.

  The first native Hungarian to be profiled here on the site, Aladar Hugo Hamborsky settled in Indiana in 1921, having earlier been a resident of Pennsylvania. Following his resettlement he established a law practice in South Bend and was active in Republican party circles in St. Joseph County, being a candidate for judge of the superior court and, later, county prosecuting attorney. Several years following those candidacies, Hamborsky removed to Michigan, dying in Detroit in 1954.  The son of the Rev. Julius and Elizabeth Hamborszky, Aladar Hugo Hamborsky was born (depending on the source) in either Bacs-Kiskun County or Besztercze-Nazsod, Hungary on December 6, 1892. 

  The Hamborszky family immigrated to the United States in either 1895 or 1899, with the Account of St. Joseph County, Indiana giving the date as 1898. A Presbyterian minister, Julius Hamborszky is remarked as having been the first Hungarian minister to preach in Pittsburgh, and the family later resided in Mount Carmel and Scranton. Young Aladar attended the public schools of Scranton and later enrolled at the Rutgers Preparatory School in New Jersey. Following his removal to Indiana, Hamborsky (as his last name was then spelled) entered the Wabash College, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1916. 

  Deciding to pursue a career in law, Hamborsky enrolled at the Indiana University Law School where he earned his degree. He put his career on hold to enlist for service in the First World War and served with the Army Ordnance Department for eleven months. He had earlier married in November 1917 to Ruth Kelsey (1895-1962), to who he was wed until his death. The couple had two children, Dwight Kelsey (1918-1974) and Phyllis Harriet (1924-1996).

  Following an honorable discharge from the Army Hamborsky returned to Indiana and was soon after named as assistant attorney general for the state. Residing in Indianapolis, he served in that capacity until late 1920, and during his tenure:

"Had charge of the collection of escheated moneys and estates, the prosecution of liquor violations which came to the attention of the attorney general's office, and he prepared briefs for criminal appeals to the supreme court."

From the Indianapolis Star, January 7, 1921.

  In November 1920 Hamborsky relocated to South Bend to take on the post of deputy prosecuting attorney for St. Joseph County. He took office in January 1921, and during his South Bend residency was active in the Hungarian Presbyterian Church, where he was an elder. In April 1926 he was selected as a lay delegate to the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church held that year in Baltimore. Dedicated to his Hungarian ancestry, Hamborsky is recorded as editor of a "Hungarian weekly" in South Bend during the early 1920s and was a member of the Hungarian Civic Club of South Bend, where he taught citizenship classes. Additionally, Hamborsky was a master linguist, being fluent in Hungarian, Polish, Slavish, and German, in addition to English. A prominent club-man in South Bend, Hamborsky held memberships in Lodge No. 294 of Free and Accepted Masons, the Elks Lodge, the Eagles Lodge, and had an affinity for both golf, fishing, "and all outdoor sports."

  Setting his sights on higher office in 1926, Hamborsky filed papers that March as a Republican candidate for judge of the St. Joseph County superior court No. 1.  After winning the nomination, notices of his candidacy appeared in South Bend newspapers throughout the remainder of the year. In October 1926 he addressed a large number of Hungarian citizens, where he detailed his platform of "no leniency towards lawbreakers", and:

"Urged the people to vote for the man best suited for the office and disregard politics and parties in order to secure a person whom they think capable of holding an office. He also stated that if they wanted a Hungarian judge, they should vote accordingly."

From the Detroit Free Press, March 20, 1932.

  Opposing Hamborsky that year was incumbent Democrat J. Fred Bingham. On election day it was Bingham who triumphed, besting Hamborsky by a vote of 20,057 to 11,875. Bingham would go on to serve as superior court judge until his retirement in 1955, having served 32 years on the bench. Two years after his loss Hamborsky reemerged on the political scene, announcing his candidacy for Prosecuting Attorney of St. Joseph County. In May 1928 he was dealt another loss, polling just 516 votes in the Republican primary.

  In 1930 Aladar Hamborsky and his family removed to Detroit, Michigan, where he established a law practice. He continued affiliation with his old fraternity of Delta Tau Delta, and in 1932 was elected as fraternity president for a one year term. Hamborsky died at his Detroit home on August 22, 1954, "having been bedfast for several months." He was survived by his wife Ruth and two children, Dwight and Phyllis. A burial location for him remains unknown at this time and is presumed to be in the Detroit area.

From the South Bend Tribune, August 23, 1954.