Paul Begala

Birth Name: Paul Edward Begala

Place of Birth: New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Birth: May 12, 1961

Ethnicity:
*father – Hungarian, possibly other
*mother – Irish

Paul Begala is an American political consultant, political commentator, and professor. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Counselor to the President, from August 17, 1997 to March 10, 1999. Part of the consulting team Carville and Begala, with James Carville, he was a chief strategist for the 1992 Clinton campaign, and co-ordinated policy, politics, and communications in the Clinton White House. He was the co-host of the shows Equal Time, from 1999 to 2000, and Crossfire, from 2002 to 2005, and often appears on CNN. He is also an Affiliated Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

Paul is the son of Margaret “Peggy” (Cass) and David Begala. He was raised in Missouri City, Texas, where his father sold oil-field equipment. He is married to Diana Friday, with whom he has four children. Paul is Catholic.

Paul’s paternal grandfather was Edward Joseph Begala (the son of John Begala and Mary Orosz). Edward was born in New Jersey, to Hungarian parents.

Paul’s paternal grandmother was Emma Kranich/Krainics (the daughter of Paul Kranich/Krainics and Anna Zvonik). Emma was born in Ratesti, Romania. Anna was the daughter of Georg Svonic.

Paul’s maternal grandfather was Harold Cass (the son of Michael J. Cass and Ellen J. O’Brien/O’Brian). Harold was born in New York. Michael was the son of Irish parents, James Cass and Margaret. Ellen’s parents were also Irish.

Paul’s maternal grandmother was Ethel Howell (the daughter of Watson George Howell and Margaret M. Regan). Watson was the son of George Howell and Adeline. Margaret was born in County Roscommon, Ireland.

Sources: Paul’s maternal grandfather, Harold Cass, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Harold Cass on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Paul’s maternal great-grandparents, Watson George Howell and Margaret M. Regan, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Paul’s maternal great-grandfather, Watson George Howell, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

6 Responses

  1. bablah says:

    I assume Rătești is the one in Satu Mare County. It says her father lives in Sakas, and Rătești, Satu Mare is called Szakasz in Hungarian. The passenger record says they were Slovak in pencil. Pretty unusual for that particular village, since in 1910 the population consisted of 525 Germans, 192 Romanians, 122 Hungarians, and 20 others. But Slovaks in Satu Mare County are not unheard of (unlike some others mentioned, like Serbs and Croats).

  2. Oaken05 says:

    “Kranich” is mostly found in Germany, and apparently means crain. In any case, I think it’s safe to say that his maternal grandmother isn’t entirely of ethnic Hungarian background.

  3. andrew says:

    I doubt his paternal grandmother had “Hungarian” ancestry. I’d guess Croatian or Serbian.

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