Mykolas Krupavičius 2022 stamp of Lithuania

Mykolas Krupavičius (1 October 1885, Balbieriškis, Lithuania – 4 December 1970,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, U.S.) was a Lithuanian priest and politician. He is best known for his involvement with the land reform in the interwar Lithuania. In 1900 Krupavičius enrolled into the

Veiveriai Teachers' Seminary Veiveriai Teachers' Seminary was a seminary in Veiveriai, Suwałki Governorate, Congress Poland (now Lithuania). It was established as teachers' courses in 1866 and reorganized into a seminary in 1872. It prepared teachers for elementary schools in ...

. He showed interest in politics from early days: during the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

he was arrested twice. After graduation in 1905, he worked as a teacher in the Łomża Governorate and in

Papilė Papilė ( sgs, Papėlė, pl, Popielany) is a town in Šiauliai County, Lithuania, near the river Venta (river), Venta. History The settlement was first mentioned in 1339, after the area was raided by the Livonian Order. Two Hill-fort#Lithuani ...

. In 1908 Krupavičius began his theological studies at the

Sejny Priest Seminary The Sejny Priest Seminary or Sejny Theological Seminary ( Lithuanian: ''Seinų kunigų seminarija'') was a Catholic priest seminary established in Sejny (now Poland) in 1826. The courses lasted five years. Up until its dissolution in 1926, the sem ...

and continued them at the

Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy The Imperial Roman Catholic Theological Academy (russian: Императорская Римско-Католическая Духовная Академия) was an institution of higher education preparing Roman Catholic theologians in the Russ ...

. He was ordained into the priesthood in June 1914. After graduation in 1917, he worked as a chaplain at a Lithuanian school in

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...

. At the same time he got involved with the

Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party The Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party ( lt, Lietuvos krikščionių demokratų partija, LKDP) was a Christian-democratic political party in Lithuania. History Russian Empire and Republic of Lithuania A Christian Democratic movement was ...

and was sentenced to death by the Bolshevik revolutionary court. Krupavičius escaped the arrest and returned to Lithuania in May 1918. He joined activities of the Council of Lithuania struggling to establish independent Lithuania. From the very beginning, he was heavily involved with the land reform. Krupavičius was elected to all

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendme ...

(parliament) and served as Minister of Agriculture from 1923 to 1926 in four different cabinets. After the 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état, the

Lithuanian Nationalists Union The Lithuanian Nationalist Union ( lt, Lietuvių tautininkų sąjunga or LTS), also known as the Nationalists (), was the ruling political party in Lithuania during the authoritarian regime of President Antanas Smetona from 1926 to 1940. The par ...

usurped the political power and Krupavičius studied sociology, economics, and law at the Lille University and

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (french: Université de Toulouse) was a university in the French city of Toulouse that was established by papal bull in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the Frenc ...

for two years. Upon return in 1930 he resumed his duties as a priest and served Catholic congregations in Garliava, Veiveriai, and Kalvarija. During the occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany, Krupavičius together with Kazys Grinius and

Jonas Pranas Aleksa Jonas Pranas Aleksa (5 December 1879 – 22 April 1955) was a Lithuanian politician, agronomist, sociologist, and economist. He was the Minister of Agriculture in the cabinets of four Prime Ministers: Kazys Grinius, Ernestas Galvanauskas, Augus ...

sent a letter to the German authorities protesting their attempts to colonize Lithuania. Krupavičius was arrested and deported to Germany where he was held under house arrest in a

carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

monastery in Regensburg. In 1945 he was elected as chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania and served in such capacity for a decade. After the resignation he moved to the United States and largely retired from public life. Krupavičius published some 20 books on various topics in Lithuanian politics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krupavicius, Mykolas 1885 births 1970 deaths People from Prienai District Municipality Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party politicians Ministers of Agriculture of Lithuania Members of the Seimas Lithuanian emigrants to the United States 20th-century Lithuanian Roman Catholic priests Lithuanian independence activists