| Ferenc Erdei | |
| Order1: | Minister of the Interior of Hungary |
| Primeminister1: | Béla Miklós |
| Term Start1: | 21 December 1944 (officially 27 March 1945) |
| Term End1: | 15 November 1945 |
| Predecessor1: | Gábor Vajna |
| Successor1: | Imre Nagy |
| Order2: | Minister of Agriculture of Hungary |
| Primeminister2: | István DobiMátyás Rákosi |
| Term Start2: | 11 June 1949 |
| Term End2: | 4 July 1953 |
| Predecessor2: | István Csala |
| Primeminister3: | Imre NagyAndrás Hegedüs |
| Term Start3: | 30 October 1954 |
| Term End3: | 15 November 1955 |
| Predecessor3: | András Hegedüs |
| Successor3: | János Matolcsi |
| Order4: | Minister of Justice of Hungary |
| Primeminister4: | Imre Nagy |
| Term Start4: | 4 July 1953 |
| Term End4: | 30 October 1954 |
| Predecessor4: | Béla Kovács |
| Successor4: | Erik Molnár |
| Birth Date: | 1910 12, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Makó, Csanád County, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary |
| Death Place: | Budapest, Hungarian People's Republic |
| Profession: | sociologist, politician |
| Party: | National Peasant Party |
Ferenc Erdei (24 December 1910 - 11 May 1971) was a Hungarian politician and sociologist, who served as Interior Minister in the unofficial interim government led by Béla Miklós. After the Soviet occupation of Hungary this cabinet took office officially, in March 1945.
Under communist rule, Erdei served as minister of agriculture in 1949–53. As such he was responsible for the "attic sweepings" and other coercive happenings and atrocities in the villages. In July 1953 he was appointed minister of justice.[1]
Erdei became a deputy prime minister during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, and as such was one of the leaders of the Hungarian delegation who negotiated abortively with the Soviets. On 3 November he was arrested together with Minister of Defence Pál Maléter, but after some weeks Erdei was released after an intervention by János Kádár.[1]
In 1957 he became secretary-general of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He received a Kossuth Prize twice, in 1948 and 1962. He was also secretary-general of the National Council of the Patriotic People's Front between 1964 and 1970.[1]