Jonas Vailokaitis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 June 1886 |
| Died | 16 December 1944 (aged 78) |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, businessman, politician |
| Spouse | Aleksandra Vailokaitienė |
| Relatives | Brothers Juozas Vailokaitis and Viktoras Vailokaitis |
Jonas Vailokaitis (; 25 June 1886 – 16 December 1944) was a Lithuanian politician, banker, and industrialist, and one of the twenty signatories to the Act of Independence of Lithuania.
Born near Šakiai, he was educated at the Institute of Commerce and Industry in St. Petersburg. Together with his brother he established a bank in Kaunas in 1912. They pursued a policy of buying estates from bankrupt owners, subdividing them, and then selling the land to smaller-scale Lithuanian farmers; this was credited with placing these lands out of the reach of Russian colonists. He served in the Vilnius Conference in 1917 and was elected to the Council of Lithuania, signing the act of independence in 1918.
In 1920 Vailokaitis was elected to the Constituent Assembly on the Christian Democratic Party ticket; he served as chairman of the budget and finance commissions. His commercial pursuits included the founding of Ūkio Bankas (The Economy Bank), the joint stock company Metalas, and several import-export companies.
After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940, he moved to Nazi Germany, where he died in 1944.
Biography edit
Early life and education edit
Jonas Vailokaitis was born on 25 June 1866 in Pikžirniai near Sintautai to a family of affluent Lithuanian farmers.[1] Little is known about the family's origins. His contemporaries Mykolas Biržiška and Kazys Grinius claimed that he had some Jewish ancestry. His niece Aldona Vailokaitytė (vice-champion of the EuroBasket Women 1938) later claimed that the family's surname was derived from a nickname which in turn was derived from valenki (felt shoes).[2] The family was successful and managed to expand their farm from 45 morgens (about 25 ha) to 130 morgens of land. Vailokaitis had three sisters and four brothers, including priest Juozas Vailokaitis and teacher Viktoras Vailokaitis.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b Terleckas 2013, p. 2219.
- ^ Terleckas 2008, p. 79.
Bibliography edit
- Terleckas, Vladas (2008). "Daug nusipelnęs, labiausiai apšmeižtas signataras Jonas Vailokaitis". Kultūros barai (in Lithuanian). 3: 79–88. ISSN 0134-3106.
- Terleckas, Vladas (2013). "Jono Vailokaičio, signataro ir verslininko, veiklos bruožai". In Girininkienė, Vida; et al. (eds.). Sintautai. Lietuvos valsčiai (in Lithuanian). Vol. II. Versmė. pp. 2218–2258. ISBN 978-9955-589-75-4.
- "Vailokaitis, Jonas". Encyclopedia Lituanica VI: 23. (1970-1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCCN 74-114275.
