The middle Széchényi brother had neither official nor public ambitions; he was mainly engaged in farming. His name appears as a financial supporter of some of his brother’s initiatives, e.g., he donated 10,000 forints for the foundation of the Academy. He married twice: his first wife was Caroline Mead, his second Countess Emilia Zichy. The two marriages produced 13 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood. Biographers of István Széchenyi generally attribute an important role in his psycho-history to his brief love affair with his sister-in-law Caroline Mead in 1814–15.