István Kováts (Slovene Števan Kovatš; January 25, 1866 – December 11, 1945) was a Hungarian Lutheran pastor, senior, writer and historian. He wrote in the wends dialect (the language of the Hungarian Slovenes, people of Prekmurje).
Born in Lébény, near Győr, he first studied in Sopron, and then in Germany at the University of Halle-Wittenberg and University of Jena. He was consecrated on September 29, 1889 and made chaplain in Tét, in 1891 in Transylvania. On March 12, 1892 he went to Wendic March, in Murska Sobota, where he learned the wends dialect. He married Irena von Berke, a Hungarian noblewoman who was the daughter of Mihaly von Berke, a wealthy landowner and owner of the Bank of Wendic March. They had three children; two daughters and one son. His son Karel Kováts (later Kovač) built the new evangelical church in Gornji Slaveči and was senior of the evangelical church in Slovenia.
István Kováts was the president of the Bank of Wendic March, and senior of Evangelical Congregation of Mura up till 1941. He built the new evangelical church in Murska Sobota, and the evangelical dormitory. In 1940 was wrote up the history of Evangelical Vicarage of Murska Sobota, and edited the calendar Evangeličanski koledar, and the gazette of Düševni List. He died in Murska Sobota on 11th of December 1945. For his contribution to the Kingdom of Hungary he received the National Defence Cross (Nemzetvédelmi Kereszt) from Miklós Horthy himself. Alexander I of Yugoslavia awarded him with Order of St. Sava (IV Class).
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