Stasys Šilingas

Who was Stasys Šilingas?

Baron Stasys Šilingas Lithuanian lawyer and statesman, was a significant figure in the history of Lithuania's independence.

One of the founding fathers of Lithuania's Independence from 1918 to 1938, he was a seminal force in the resultant revival leading to a flowering of Lithuanian art, literature, culture, and nationhood. When the independence of Lithuania was proclaimed on February 16, 1918, Silingas served first as vice-president and, in 1919, as president of the Council of Lithuania. Between World War I and World War II he was twice minister of justice, from 1926 to 1928, and from 1934 to 1938.From 1920 to 1926 he was director of the Fine Art association. He also served as vice-chancellor of the Order of Vytautas the Great. After the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, he was deported in 1941 to the Russian Arctic.