Dr. János Hantos was born at Békéscsaba, Hungary, in 1927. In 1954 he was appointed to the University of Budapest, and taught philosophy for ten years. He is also a Doctor of Political Science. He was elected to the City Council of Budapest in 1962, and became Deputy Mayor at the end of 1964. He was elected Secretary-General of the National Board of the Hungarian Red Cross by the IVth Congress of the Hungarian Red Cross in 1973, and Chairman of the National Executive Committee by the Vth Congress in 1977. After 17 years' uninterrupted service Dr. Hantos retired on 1 January 1990, but has continued to serve as a Red Cross volunteer. At the Twenty-fourth International Conference of the Red Cross (Manila, 1981), he became Vice-Chairman of the Standing Commission of the International Red Cross, and was re-elected a member of that Commission by the Twenty-fifth Conference in 1986.