Jozef Miloslav Hurban was a leader of the Slovak National Council and the Slovak Uprising in 1848–1849. He was a writer, journalist, politician, organizer of Slovak cultural life, and a protestant priest. He was a supporter of Ján Kollár, and later of Ľudovít Štúr. His son, Svetozár Hurban-Vajanský, followed in his footsteps both as a writer and nationalist.
The city of Hurbanovo in southern Slovakia and asteroid 3730 Hurban are both named after him.