Paskutinis tarpukario Lietuvos ministras pirmininkas

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Tarpukaris; Antanas Merkys; Ministrai pirmininkai; Antanas Merkys; Prime minister; Interwar.

ENAfter President Antanas Smetona retreated to the West, the last Prime Minster of inter-war Lithuania Antanas Merkys became acting president of the state. He ruled the country just before the occupation of Lithuania by Russia at a complicated time of fundamental changes because of secret agreements between Germany and Soviet Union. Antanas Merkys was born on February 1, 1887 in Bajorai Village of Skapiškis District (Valsčius), Rokiškis County (now Kupiškis District), to the family of Ona Plūkaitė from Kereliai Village and Karolis Merkys from Bajorai Village. In January 1919, Antanas Merkys joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces as a volunteer and was appointed head of the Legal Department of the Ministry of National Defence. He was among those who worked out the draft law on military censorship although this had been passed never. Merkys had been proposed to take duties of Defence Minister in the Cabinet of Pranas Dovydaitis. After a month, he took the same post in the government lead by Mykolas Sleževičius. After the coup d'etat on December 17, 1926 new Cabinet of Ministers had been formed with Augustinas Voldemaras heading it. Merkys took again the post of the Defence Minister. However due to being at odds with Voldemaras, Merkys had to resign on August 9, 1927 and already in September he was appointed the Governor of the Klaipėda Region; his office was equal to the rank of a ministry.He was a member of the Nationalist Union of Lithuania (Tautininkai) from 1925 to 1940 and one of its founders. On May 19, 1932 because of the demand by Germans, Merkys was removed form the Klaipėda Governor's post and was shortly engaged in lawyers' practice, as well as served as a consultant to the State Service. On December 21, 1933 he was elected the Mayor (burmistras) of the Kaunas City. In 1934 together with the like-minded, he funded the Rotary Club in Kaunas. Up to February 1940, he was the Chairman of the Lithuanian Army Reserve Officers Union. In May 1936 Merkys was elected the member of the Fourth Seimas (parliament) of Lithuania and became the Chairman of the Petition Committee. After Lithuania regained the control of Vilnius City and Vilnius Region on October 10, 1939, Merkys was appointed to head the newly formed administrative unit until November 21. Then from this date to June 17, 1940 he was the last Prime Minister of Lithuania of the inter-war period. And after Antanas Smetona departed from Lithuania, Merkys was de facto acting President of Lithuania.In July 1940, Merkys was detained by Soviets. Soon his wife Marija and son Gediminas also were detained. The Merkiai were held in Saratov at the Volga River. As the war began Merkiai lived under the conditions of home arrest. On June 26, 1941 all they three were detained and imprisoned. A long way began from one jail to another: Saratov, Kirov, Ivanovo, Butyrka in Moscow, and Vladimir. Long time the family of Merkys was kept imprisoned without any court decision, but in 1952 they were sentenced to 25 years in prison. Merkys was released from the Vladimir jail only in 1954, but he was not allowed to go back to Lithuania. For some time, seriously ill he was treated in Vladimir hospital, later he was taken to the Melenko Disabled House in Vladimir Region. He died on March 5, 1955 and was buried in the local cemetery. A monument in a shape of roofed pillar created by Henrikas Orakauskas and Leonas Perekšllis in 1991 stands in the Bajorai Village, where Antanas Merkys, the future Lithuanian statement was born. [From the publication]