Famous Lithuanian Leaders

Dalia Grybauskaitė became the first female president of Lithuania and the first to be re-elected. Popularly known as Lithuania’s Iron Lady and often compared to Margaret Thatcher, she has also been the UN Commissioner of the Year. A black belt in karate, she has mastery over four languages.

Mindaugas reigned as the King of Lithuania from 1253 to 1263. His reign was marked by numerous state-building accomplishments. Although not much is documented about his life and reign, Mindaugas is generally regarded as the founder of the Lithuanian state. He is also remembered as the only crowned Lithuanian king.

Vytautas, also called Vytautas the Great, was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Vytautas consolidated the possessions of his country and aided in building a national consciousness. Revered as a national hero, Vytautas was considered a significant figure during the 19th century Lithuanian National Revival. The Vytautas Magnus University founded in 1922 during the Polish–Lithuanian War was named after him.  

Gediminas was a Lithuanian leader who served as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1316 until his death in 1341. Counted among the most important political figures in early Lithuanian history, Gediminas is credited with building the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius. He is also credited with founding a dynasty that eventually ruled other European countries like Hungary, Poland, and Bohemia.

Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel was a Russian military officer who served in the Imperial Russian Army. He played an important role during the Russian Civil War, serving as the commanding general of the White Army during the later stages of the war. He lost the war and left Russia, becoming one of the most important exiled White émigrés of South Russia.

Former Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus had fought against the Soviet army during World War II. After fleeing to Germany, he studied in Munich and then migrated to the U.S., where he earned a civil engineering degree. Among his many accolades are honorary doctorates from countless foreign universities.

The first president of Lithuania, Antanas Smetona was drawn into the revolutionary movements of his country soon after finishing law school. A major political figure of his country during the two World Wars, he came to power for a second time after launching a coup in 1926.

Ingrida Šimonytė is a Lithuanian economist and politician. She is the current Prime Minister of Lithuania. An influential politician, Šimonytė also served as the Minister of Finance from 7 July 2009 to 13 December 2012. In 2019 and 2020, Ingrida Šimonytė was named Delfi Women of the Year.

Emilia Plater was a Polish-Lithuanian revolutionary and noblewoman. Often compared with France's Joan of Arc, Plater is seen as a national heroine in Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland. Emilia Plater's story has inspired numerous works of art and literature and she is often seen as a symbol of women empowerment in Lithuania.

Vytautas Landsbergis is a Lithuanian politician and writer. He is best known for his service as the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lithuania from 1990 to 1992. Apart from writing books on politics, Vytautas Landsbergis has also written several books on music.

Rolandas Paksas is a Lithuanian politician who served as the president of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. Prior to this, he was the prime minister of Lithuania for two non-consecutive terms. A civil engineer by qualification, he founded a construction company, Restako, prior to joining politics. His political career has been shrouded in controversies. 

Lithuanian politician and chess-player Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen serves as speaker of the Seimas since November 2020. Her achievements in chess includes becoming Lithuanian champion twice, receiving FIDE’s Grandmaster title in 2010, and winning gold medal during European Women's Individual Championship in 2011. She joined politics as a member of Liberal Movement in 2015 and presently serves as Chairperson of the party.

Polish military commander Jan Karol Chodkiewicz is remembered for his exploits against the Swedes and the Turks. He once demolished a Swedish army 4 times larger than his own. He died in the battle of Khotyn, or Chocim, after successfully defending it against the Turks, fighting a huge army.

Algirdas Brazauskas was a Lithuanian politician who served as the president of Lithuania from 1993 to 1998. An influential and popular politician, Brazauskas also served as the country's prime minister from 2001 to 2006. During his political career, Brazauskas made important contributions to improve the relations between Lithuania and Russia, for which he was awarded the Order of Honour.

Aušrinė Armonaitė is a Lithuanian politician and the current Minister for Economy and Innovation. Since 2019, she has been serving as the chairperson of the popular Freedom Party. Aušrinė Armonaitė previously served as a member of the conservative-liberal political party, Liberal Movement.

Jonas Žemaitis was a Lithuanian political figure who served as a leader of a group of Lithuanian partisans who waged guerrilla warfare against the Soviet Union after the occupation of Lithuania by Soviet. After Lithuania's independence, Jonas Žemaitis was acknowledged as a national hero and was officially recognized as the fourth Lithuanian president in 2009. 

Starting his career as a journalist, Artūras Zuokas later stepped into the scene of Lithuanian politics. He chairs the Lithuanian Freedom Union and has served as the mayor of Vilnius. He has also previously been associated with businesses related to real estate, retail, and electronic sales.

Kazimira Prunskienė scripted history when she became Lithuania’s first prime minister after the country’s independence from the USSR. Associated with the Communist Party, the Popular Peasants Union, and the People's Party, she has also taught economics and penned several books. She is known for her focus on women’s participation in politics.

Former Lithuanian judge Neringa Venckienė was part of the 11th Seimas of Lithuania. The Way of Courage party leader was in the middle of a huge controversy regarding the custody of her brother’s daughter, who was apparently molested in a case that led to the murders of several people.

Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius was a Lithuanian philologist, poet, writer, playwright, and novelist. He is perhaps best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Lithuania for just about a week in 1940 when he was appointed by acting President Justas Paleckis.

Justas Paleckis was a Lithuanian politician, journalist, and author. He was the de facto President and Prime Minister of Lithuania from June 1940 to August 1940. However, both his presidency and premiership were not officially recognized.

Kazys Grinius was a Lithuanian political figure who served as the President of Lithuania from June 1926 to December 1926. Earlier, he had served as the Lithuanian Prime Minister from 1920 until his resignation in 1922. An important politician, Kazys Grinius is credited with co-founding the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union and the Lithuanian Democratic Party. 

Evelina Dobrovolska is a Polish-Lithuanian activist and politician. She is currently serving as the Minister for Justice of Lithuania in the Šimonytė Cabinet. Prior to her political career, Ewelina Dobrowolska achieved popularity after becoming one of the most important members of the European Foundation of Human Rights.

Lithuanian television-personality and politician Arūnas Valinskas created famous television shows and reality-competition shows and has hosted several shows and concerts. As a politician, he founded National Resurrection Party in 2008 which later merged to Liberal and Centre Union in 2011. He was elected to Seimas in 2008 and served as Speaker of the Seimas from November 2008 to September 2009.

Gintarė Skaistė is a Lithuanian politician who is currently serving as the Minister for Finance of Lithuania in the Šimonytė Cabinet. She earned recognition as a politician between 2007 and 2016, during which she served as the Kaunas City Councillor.

Antanas Merkys was a Lithuanian politician best remembered for his service as the 14th and last Prime Minister of independent Lithuania from 1939 to 1940. He also served as the de factor President of Lithuania for three days in 1940 after which he handed over the power to Justas Paleckis.

Artūras Paulauskas is a Lithuanian politician best known for his service as the Acting President of Lithuania in 2004. A popular politician, Paulauskas also served as the Minister of Environment from January 2008 to December 2008.

Aušra Maldeikienė is a Lithuanian politician, political economist, teacher, lecturer, publicist, and author. Having served as the Vilnius City Councilor and Member of the Seimas between 2015 and 2019, Maldeikienė was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2019.

Agnė Bilotaitė is a Lithuanian politician and the current Minister for the Interior of Lithuania in the Šimonytė Cabinet. Since 2008, Agnė Bilotaitė has been an important member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the unicameral parliament of the country.

Irena Degutienė, member of Homeland Union, served as Minister for Social Security and Labour, twice as acting Prime Minister of Lithuania and as First Deputy Speaker of the Seimas. She then became the first woman to hold-office as Speaker of the Seimas. Thereafter she served as Deputy Speaker of the Seimas. She is implicated in the MG Baltic bribery scandal.