József Törley (Subotica, 10.1.1858 – Oostende, 28.7.1907) was an industrialist. He was born in a family of prominent landowners from Subotica. After completing the Commercial College, he travelled to France to Reims in the autumn of 1878, where he studied the production of sparkling wine (IAS, F:2. 8198/polg. 1878). His factory of sparkling wine began to work in Budafok in 1882, in a castle from the 16th century. In 1899, he opened another champagne factory (Bácskai Ellenőr, 10.8.1899), and in 1896, he was given by Emperor Franz Joseph I a title of nobility with the predicate of csantavéri for his results achieved in this work (Subotičke novine, 19.4.1896). Even though he lived far away from Subotica, he did not break off his contacts with his homeland, most persistently in the field of politics. Namely, he was twice (in 1888 and 1905) a candidate for the representative of Subotica with a liberal program. In both cases, he failed to enter the national parliament (Közvélemény, 26.2.1888; Neven, 15.2.1905).

Mirko Grlica