Auguszta Kohner

Auguszta Kohner (1909-1975) was the youngest child and only daughter of Baron and Baroness Alfred and Renee Kohner, members of a prominent Jewish Hungarian family that made much of their money in farming and banking. Auguszta and her brothers never thought it was odd that their parents were cousins, since at least three of her other aunt and uncle pairings were also cousins. In later years, Kohner descendants would blame the family’s frequent intermarriages on what they termed the “melancholy Kohner” temperament, though by the time genetics was better understood, all three of Renée and Alfred’s children were long dead.

Auguszta never had any children herself. She had a brief marriage to a man named Nils Menko, who was a distant relative of her brother Istvan’s wife, Alice Menko Hartogensis. Alice was also from a prominent Jewish family, but her family was from the Netherlands. Renee and Alfred sent Istvan, their oldest child, to the Netherlands to look for “a rich Jewish heiress” to marry. The 1929 stock market crash had not been kind to the Kohners. Dutifully following his parents' directions, Istvan found Alice, married her, and brought her back to Hungary to live with him and the extended Kohner family.

Auguszta and Alice quickly became fast friends, propelled by their mutual love of car racing and socializing. The Kohners were fond of all kinds of speed sports–horse racing, car racing, and skiing. The sisters-in-law’s driving adventures were frequently featured in the society columns, but Auguszta had a more serious racing career on her own. One can find dozens of references to her winning car race times in various Hungarian newspapers in the 1930s and early 1940s.

It’s unclear how long Auguszta was married to her husband Nils Menko, but it appears that they at least shared a love of car racing. Unfortunately, in 1934, he was killed in a car crash while on a rally road race in the Netherlands. Interestingly, only 24 hours before the crash, Auguszta was also involved in a serious car accident, but in what was at the time called Czechoslovakia. Newspaper accounts report that Nils died from a skull fracture after his car hit a local farmer driving a cart with two oxen. Auguszta was injured when her car took a turn too quickly, and she hit a tree. Although the newspapers report that her car was totaled, she walked away with “only a few minor injuries.”

Auguszta continued car racing, even after her husband’s death, sometimes with her sister-in-law Alice, and sometimes by herself. It was reported that she often drove with her beloved black Scottish terrier by her side. Although Auguszta raced many different cars, her favorite was an Italian Lancia. One reporter accompanied Auguszta on one of her rides and marveled at her speed and fearlessness, noting that “the Baroness raced down the street, honking at a flock of ducks in the road, causing them to fly away in a rush.”

A 2018 Hungarian article about Hungarian sports history identified Auguszta as a foremother of female auto racing. “As a racing enthusiast, I kneel down and think with respect for those brave predecessors who stormed the peaks with their primitive machines,” and noting that Auguszta could get her car up to 125.6 km per hour.

There isn’t a lot of information about Auguszta after World War II. Both her brothers died in the Holocaust. Their children and wives all survived and eventually settled outside Hungary in Canada and the UK. We know Auguszta survived the War and remained in Hungary until her death in 1975, but what her life was like for the 30 years between the end of World War II and her death remains a mystery. One can assume she was probably treated poorly by the new Communist government, but one can only imagine. There are no public records of her from 1945 until her death.

Auguszta was a woman who clearly enjoyed life, took risks, and tried to live life to its fullest. Although she certainly reaped the benefits of her family’s wealth and prestige, she did not seem constrained by conventions or female subordination. I wish I had the chance to know her.