Ferenc Szilberleitner (Constantinople, 1857 – ?) was a pharmacist and entrepreneur. He was born in exile, where his father József, an engineer by profession, came after the failure of the Hungarian revolution of 1848–1849. Ferenc’s education was cared about by his grandmother in Buda. He finished grammar school and university there. He spent his summer vacations with his father, travelling around Europe. He also achieved his pharmacy practice abroad, before coming to Subotica in 1895, where he bought the pharmacy To the Protective Virgin in the very centre of the town. He moved the pharmacy to a new location, into the house of Dušan Stojković, the appearance of which store was designed by architect Titusz Macskovits. In a short time, he became a favourite member of the society of Subotica. He was a connoisseur of arts, mechanics, sports (Magyarország és a nagyvilág, 25.4.1897). In the summer of 1901, he drove the first car through the streets of Subotica (Bácskai Friss Újság, 12.7.1901). He invested his capital, accumulated in the well-run pharmacy, into shares of Subotica Timber Industry (1907) and the Citizens Savings Bank (1907), where he was among the founders (IAS, F:086. CT, 138/V; CT, 168/V). He remained in Subotica even after the foundation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, enduring in his pharmacy for decades, which was apparently his “life’s work“.
Mirko Grlica