Personal Life
Polanyi was born in 1929 to Michael and Magda Elizabeth Polanyi in Berlin, Germany. His father was born in 1891, in Hungary. His uncle, Karl was an economist, noted for his criticism of market capitalism. His grandfather, Mihaly Pollacsek, built railways. Mihaly Pollacsek Magyarized the family's name to Polanyi, but did not change his own name. When they were living in Budapest, the Polanyis were considered among the city's non-observant Jews, and Michael Polanyi converted to Catholicism when he was in university. In 1958, Polanyi married Anne Ferrar Davidson. He has two children - a daughter, Margaret, born in 1961 and a son, Michael, born in 1963. His daughter is journalist, and his son is a political scientist, after starting his career as a physicist. Polanyi is currently married to portrait artist Brenda Bury. Outside of his scientific and policy endeavours, Polanyi's interests include art, literature and poetry. He was an avid white water canoeist in his young days, but has replaced that with walking and skiing.
Read more about this topic: John Polanyi
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