Ján Ursíny

(*11 October 1896 in Rakša – †8 January 1972 in Rakša)

As a supporter of the agrarian movement in Slovakia, he especially involved himself in the organisation of cooperative credit societies known under the name of Farmer Mutual Treasuries (Roľnícke vzájomné pokladnice). He initiated their establishment and as one of the leading officials of the Bratislava headquarters of the Association of Farmer Mutual Treasuries he coordinated their activities for fifteen years. Initially, he held the position of acting director, and later, in the years 1928 – 1930, he acted as a sitting vice-president; at the Association's general meeting on 15 June 1930 he was finally elected president of administration. He stayed in this position until 1940.

After the outbreak of the Slovak National Uprising, he became a member of the Praesidium of the Slovak National Council and commissioner for economic and supply issues. From 7 February 1945 he acted as a commissioner for agriculture and land reform until the establishment of the first Czechoslovak government in the liberated territory. In the years 1945 – 1947 he was appointed a deputy prime minister of the renewed Czechoslovak Republic representing the Democratic party and for two years he also served in the highest Slovak and Czechoslovak parliament. In December 1945 he was elected head of the Association of Farmer Mutual Treasuries again. In 1948 he was sentenced to seven years in prison in a fabricated political trial aimed at discrediting the Democratic Party members. He was rehabilitated in 1964.