Károly Kerkapoly or "Kerkápoly" (13 May 1824 - 31 December 1891) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Finance between 1870 and 1873. He studied in Pápa, in the same school as Mór Jókai and Sándor Petőfi. He worked as a juratus in the National Assembly of 1844. When he finished his law studies he worked for the Zala County's chief prosecutor. Kerkapoly met Ferenc Deák here, who already then sympathized with him and later attention and interest his career was accompanied by Deák. Kerkapoly continued his studies in Halle an der Saale and Berlin, but returned to Hungary when the revolution broke out.