Ferenc Mádl was born on 29 January 1931 in the village of Bánd in Veszprém County, Kingdom of Hungary into a Danube Swabian family .

[4] He was charged with supervising the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; he assisted in defining government science policy goals as well as closely observing the harmonization of related state tasks and their implementation; on the basis of separate commissions he represented the government and the prime minister in international organizations; he cooperated with the ministers for justice, foreign affairs and international economic relations in the realization of certain tasks.

At the instigation of the government, in late 1992 an inter-portfolio committee was formed under his chairmanship to research those works of art illegally taken to the former Soviet Union from Hungary during and after the Second World War, with the aim of winning their return.

He also exercised supervisory control over the Central Office of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the National Scientific Research Fund.

[9] He was succeeded by László Sólyom, an independent candidate of the right-wing opposition, who defeated Katalin Szili in the indirect presidential election.

The World Justice Project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.

[12] Mádl was the great-uncle of TISZA leader Péter Magyar, who is the ex-husband of former Minister of Justice Judit Varga.

A statement released by his office said, "Pál Schmitt learnt with deep sorrow of the former head of state's death, and on this day personally expressed his condolences to [Mádl's] family."

"[1] On 6 June a memorial was held for the late President at the Parliament, where legislative Speaker László Kövér said that Ferenc Mádl was a Christian man, who brought with him his faith from the village where he was raised.

[15] He was buried in a Catholic ritual with military honours at the Fiumei Street National Cemetery on 7 June in a funeral ceremony starting at 16.30 CEST.