Jonas Basanavičius

Dr. Jonas Basanavičius  (b. 23 November 1851, Ožkabaliai - d. 16 February 1927, Vilnius) was an activist and proponent of Lithuania's national revival movement, founder of the newspaper Aušra (The dawn), which was the first prohibited newspaper of national revival. He was one of the initiators and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 1905 Congress of Lithuanians, the Great Seimas of Vilnius. He was a founder and a chairman of Lithuanian Science Society (1907).

As a member of Council of Lithuania, he was a signator of the Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16 1918.

Biography


After studies in Marijampolė gymnasium in 1866-1873, he continued studies in Moscow University, the Faculty of History and Philology, then was transferred to Faculty of Medicine. After gaining a diploma in 1879, he worked in Ožkabaliai, Vilkaviškis and Aleksotas, then in 1878 moved to Bulgaria as a doctor and the head of a hospital in Lom Palanka city.

In 1882, Dr. Basanavičius left Bulgaria for Prague and Vienna where he worked and studied medicine further.

Returning to Bulgaria in 1884, he worker as a doctor in Elena, Lom Palanka and Varna, participated in political life representing the Democratic party of Bulgaria in Varna City Council and Varna Democratic party in the Congresses in 1903 (Sofia), and 1905 (Adrianopol and Konstantinopol). In 1905, he returned to Lithuania where he edited influential magazine Aušra and played an important role in the Lithuanian national revival, culminating with the Lithuanian Declaration of Independence in 1918.

Dr. Basanavičius explored Lithuanian history, culture, folklore, linguistics, writing more than forty works in these fields.

He died in Vilnius on February 16 1927, Lithuanian Independence Day, and was buried in Rasos Cemetery.