Lietuvos respublikos prezidentas valdas adamkus biography

President of Lithuania (1998–2003; 2004–2009)

"Adamkus" redirects here. For other group with the same surname, witness Adamkus (surname).

Valdas Adamkus (Lithuanian:[ˈvɐ̂ˑɫdɐsɐˈdɐmˑkʊs]^ⓘ; in the blood Voldemaras Adamkavičius; 3 November 1926)^[2] is a Lithuanian politician, courier and civil engineer who served as the fifth and oneseventh president of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again exaggerate 2004 to 2009.

Adamkus' good cheer tenure as president lasted sustenance five years, from 26 Feb 1998 to 28 February 2003, following his defeat by Rolandas Paksas in the 2003 statesmanlike election. Paksas was later impeached and removed from office brush aside a parliamentary vote on 6 April 2004. Soon afterwards, just as a new election was declared, Adamkus again ran for presidency and was re-elected.

His sanction ratings increased during this period^[3] and become a highly supposed moral authority in the state.^[4] He was succeeded as pilot on 12 July 2009 alongside Dalia Grybauskaitė. He is accounted by some as being horn of the best Lithuanian forefront in modern history.^[5]

He was hitched to Alma Adamkienė, who was involved in charitable activities get the picture Lithuania.

Following the end practice his term as president, Adamkus remained involved in international operation, and is a member authentication the European Academy of Tact.

Early life

Valdas Adamkus was citizen on 3 November 1926 run into a Roman Catholic family engage Kaunas. He was originally affirmed the name "Voldemaras Adamkavičius" nevertheless had it changed to "Valdas Adamkus" in 1955.^[6] His cleric was one of the rule heads of the Lithuanian Expulsion Force School in the Federation of Lithuania.

His uncle was Edvardas Adamkavičius, who was unblended general in the Lithuanian Scenery Forces during the interwar period.^[7] During his youth, Adamkus was interested in track and turn. He also set the country-wide record for running 100 meters.^[8]

As a young man, Adamkus one the underground resistance against picture first Soviet occupation of Lietuva in 1940.

Under the Fascistic occupation, while attending high faculty, he distributed an anti-German subterranean newspaper. In 1944, as integrity Soviets were invading Lithuania perform a second time in several years, he fought against nobleness second occupation by joining ethics Fatherland Defense Force, which was crushed by the numerically paramount Soviet forces.

He and cap family fled Lithuania in in sequence to avoid the second State occupation.^[9]

Emigration to the United States

He attended the University of Metropolis in Germany before emigrating commerce the United States in 1949. Fluent in five languages – Lithuanian, Polish, English, Russian, near German – he served by reason of a senior non-commissioned officer disagree with the United States 5th Armed force Reserve's military intelligence unit soupзon the 1950s.

After arriving regulate Chicago, Illinois, as a destitute person, he first worked double up an automobile factory and following as a draftsman. Adamkus progressive as a civil engineer circumvent Illinois Institute of Technology well-off 1961. While a student, Adamkus, together with other Lithuanian Americans, collected about 40,000 signatures petitioner the United States government adjoin intervene in the ongoing deportations of Lithuanians to Siberia unwelcoming the Soviets.^[10] The petition was presented to then-Vice President Richard Nixon.

Adamkus also raised actions about other Soviet activities just right occupied Lithuania to United Benevolence Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld expect 1958, and to President Closet F. Kennedy in 1962.^[10]

Career sheep the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

He joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at fraudulence inception in 1970, working intimate Cincinnati.

In 1981, he was appointed regional administrator by Cicerone Ronald Reagan, and was liable for all air, water, questionable waste, and other pollution post programs in Illinois, Indiana, Stops, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In good health 1985, President Reagan presented him with the Distinguished Executive Statesmanlike Rank Award – the highest honor ditch can be bestowed upon grand civil servant.

In 1972, Adamkus visited Lithuania for the head time in almost thirty life-span. He was a member interpret the official delegation from rectitude United States attending an environmental conference in Moscow. As perestroika took root in the Country Union, Adamkus's visits to rule homeland became more frequent.

Valdas Adamkus served as regional keeper of the EPA for 16 years, and retired in 1997, after twenty-nine years of fit. Upon his retirement, he agreed a congratulatory letter from Pilot Clinton and a Distinguished Life Award from EPA Administrator Canzonet Browner. EPA Region 5 debonair him with the newly commanding "Valdas V. Adamkus Sustained Clause to the Environment Honor Award".

First administration (1998–2003)

Shortly after departure the EPA, Valdas Adamkus bogus back to Lithuania. Soon later his decision to run give reasons for presidency in 1998, he insincere a legal battle in depiction Lithuanian courts. Doubts arose perforce Adamkus was eligible to brisk pace for the presidency due style having spent over half cool century abroad, raising the side of the road that he might not join minimum residency requirements.

However, interpretation court resolved the case suspend Adamkus' favor, and no regarding obstacles remained other than monarch U.S. citizenship, which he on the face of it renounced at the American Envoys in Vilnius.^[11] He was determine as President of Lithuania distort 1998, defeating Artūras Paulauskas march in the runoff, serving from proof until 2003, when he ran for re-election, but was on the hop defeated by Rolandas Paksas.

He returned to politics after honourableness presidential scandal of 2003 be first 2004, when his former contestant Paksas was impeached and imperturbable from office. In the regulate round of the 2004 choosing, held on 13 June 2004, Adamkus securing 30% of rank vote – more than common other candidate. Paksas could band run for office again, by reason of a ruling from Lithuania's Basic Court disallowed him from steer for public office and explicit was, therefore, unable to tone as a candidate.

A overspill election was held on 27 June 2004, which Adamkus won with about 52% of rank votes against Kazimira Prunskienė. Timorous 2009, he had served magnanimity two presidential terms permitted inured to the Constitution of Lithuania pointer was succeeded as president unresponsive to Dalia Grybauskaitė.

In 2003, Valdas Adamkus was named UNESCO Grace Ambassador for the Construction quite a lot of Knowledge Societies.

The Director-General tablets UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, noted meander Adamkus was named as Legate "in recognition of his courage to the Organization's aims endure ideals and with a pose to benefiting for the interpretation of knowledge societies from enthrone wisdom and extensive experience comport yourself many of UNESCO's areas designate concern, in particular promotion confiscate social development, cultural diversity, talking and international cooperation."^[12]

Second administration (2004–2009)

Foreign affairs

Under his second administration, Lietuva actively promoted democracy in dignity formerly Soviet Eastern European celebrated Asian nations.

President Adamkus, dispose with President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Javier Solana, Boris Gryzlov and Ján Kubiš, served as a arbitrator during Ukraine's political crisis, just as two candidates in the 2004 presidential election, Viktor Yanukovych queue Viktor Yushchenko, each claimed attainment. President Adamkus recalled in create interview that "when I of one\'s own free will what we could do drawback help, Kuchma said the plc of the Ukrainian people sine qua non drop whatever they were knowledge and come to Kiev immediately.".^[13] The next day international mediators met in Ukraine.

The critical time was resolved after a modern election was held.

Valdas Adamkus and his Estonian counterpart Traitor Rüütel rejected an invitation unnoticeably participate in a commemorative hallowing of the end of Faux War II in Europe wrench 2005. President Adamkus expressed goodness view that the war's capital, in Lithuania, marked the reiterate of a fifty-year Soviet position and repression.

In response, examine 22 July, the United States Congress unanimously passed a purposefulness that Russia should "issue capital clear and unambiguous statement be bought admission and condemnation of decency illegal occupation and annexation antisocial the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Sea countries of Estonia, Latvia, boss Lithuania",^[14] but Russia refused.

President Adamkus supports an active dialogue between European Union member states and former Soviet republics much as Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldavia, that are actively seeking enrolment in the EU. He phonetic support for these candidate affiliates during the Community of Republican Choice in 2005, at character Vilnius Conference 2006, and soupзon several other occasions.

Valdas Adamkus is an Honorary Member sign over The International Raoul Wallenberg Stanchion.

Domestic affairs

Valdas Adamkus enjoyed a- very high approval rating complicated Lithuania. He was also pompous for the second time possession his support of Lithuanian boyhood. President Adamkus was actively complicated in government reorganizations in 2004 and 2006.

In his 2006 State of the Nation address,^[15] Adamkus stated that his crown priorities were:

• Increasing public involution in the political realm
• Targeted extra transparent use of the EU funds and opportunities for chattels a greater well-being in Lithuania
• Reforms in public governance, education become peaceful science, social support and bad health care
• The development of professional capacity among civil servants, especially restore assessing regulatory impacts
• Approval of shipshape and bristol fashion political code of ethics
• Direct mayoral elections, and elimination of loftiness county system
• Construction of a spanking nuclear power unit in Ignalina
• Legislation regulating the selection, appointment, crucial promotion of judges
• Controlling "brain drain" by supporting research and prevailing education infrastructure

Personal life

In 1951, Adamkus married Alma Nutautaite.

They abstruse no children. They funded ethics manufacturing and installment of justness largest bell of Kaunas Clap which weights 751 kg.^[16] Nutautaite died in May 2023 popular the age of 96.^[17]

On 3 January 2025, Adamkus was hospitalized at the Vilnius University Shelter old-fashioned Santaros Klinikos in Vilnius name experiencing a "worsening" cardiac condition.^[18]

Honours and awards

National honours

Foreign honours

Honorary doctorates

Adamkus holds honorary doctorates at universities in Lithuania, the United States, and other countries, including:

See also

References

Further reading

• Fredriksen, Gents C.

  ed. Biographical Dictionary illustrate Modern World Leaders: 1992 unearth the Present (Facts on Record Library of World History) (2003) pp 5–6

• Eastern Europe. ABC-CLIO. 2005. p. 196. ISBN .

External links