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Jiří Horák (24 April 1924 in Hradec Králové – 25 July 2003 in Englewood, Florida) was a Czech politician. He was the first chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party after the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

After 1945, Horák studied at Business Institute (Vysoká škola obchodní) in Prague and was active in the youth organisation of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party. When the Communist Party took all power (1948) he emigrated to West Germany and in 1951 to the United States. He studied politology at the Columbia University in New York. He subsequently taught Eastern European and Russian government and politics at Manhattan College, in Riverdale (Bronx) NY. In 1967, he obtained the position of professor there, where he taught until his retirement.

During his emigration, Horák participated in activities of social democracy in exile (in 1948 the party was forcibly merged with Communist Party). After the Communist Party lost its power (1989), he returned to Czechoslovakia and re-established the party, becoming its leader. During the 1990 election, the party failed to obtain seats in the parliament; Horák also got involved in internal party disputes. In the 1992 elections, the party narrowly obtained parliamentary presence. In 1993, Miloš Zeman replaced Horák as party leader.

In 1993, Horák returned to the United States, from where he criticised the new strategy of Czech social democracy.

References

1. SCHEIBNER, HILDEGARD (27 July 2003). "First leader of Czech Social Democrats dies in Englewood". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

External links

• Short obituary (in Czech)

v t e Social Democracy (Czech Republic)
Leaders [cs]	Antonín Němec Bohumír Šmeral Antonín Němec Antonín Hampl Zdeněk Fierlinger Bohumil Laušman Blažej Vilím Václav Majer Vilém Bernard Karel Hrubý Jiří Horák Miloš Zeman Vladimír Špidla Stanislav Gross Bohuslav Sobotka (interim) Jiří Paroubek Bohuslav Sobotka Milan Chovanec (interim) Jan Hamáček Roman Onderka (interim) Michal Šmarda Jana Maláčová
Leadership elections	1990 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2018 2019 2021 (April) 2021 (December) 2023 2024
Presidential candidates	Tomáš Masaryk Edvard Beneš Klement Gottwald Václav Havel Jaroslav Bureš Miloš Zeman Jan Sokol Jan Švejnar Jiří Dienstbier Jr. Josef Středula
Presidential election primaries	2002 2012
Governments	Kramář Tusar I Tusar II Beneš Švehla I Švehla II Udržal II Malypetr I Malypetr II Malypetr III Hodža I Hodža II Hodža III Fierlinger Gottwald I Gottwald II Zeman Špidla Gross Paroubek Fischer Sobotka Babiš II
Organisation	Chamber of Deputies Caucus Cíl Association of Patients Social Democratic Women Christian Social Platform Idealists.cz Masaryk Democratic Academy Mayors and Governors Club Orange Club Senate Caucus Senior Club Union of Workers' Sports' Unities Young Social Democrats Zvonečník
Alliances	Current Party of European Socialists Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Socialist International Progressive Alliance Former SDAPÖ Second International Labour and Socialist International Socialist Council Pětka National Front
History and related topics	2014 Referendum 2017 Czech government crisis 2018 Government referendum Independent Radical Social Democratic Party Opposition Agreement Socialist Party of the Czechoslovak Working People

• 1924 births
• 2003 deaths
• Politicians from Hradec Králové
• Leaders of the Czech Social Democratic Party
• Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States
• Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
• Czech Social Democratic Party MPs