41 Facts About Saliamonas Banaitis

Saliamonas Banaitis was a Lithuanian printer, politician, and businessman.

Saliamonas Banaitis was one of the twenty signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania in 1918.

Early death of his father and brother forced Banaitis to quit school in order to work at his family's farm.

In independent Lithuania, Saliamonas Banaitis was one of the founders of the right-wing Economic and Political Union of Lithuanian Farmers and editor of its newspaper Zemdirbiu balsas.

In 1918, Saliamonas Banaitis was one of the founders and council member of the Trade and Industry Bank.

Saliamonas Banaitis was co-founder and vice-chairman of the Lithuanian Steamship Corporation.

Saliamonas Banaitis's father was a Lithuanian farmer; he died when Banaitis was three years old.

Saliamonas Banaitis attended a primary school in Sintautai for three years.

Saliamonas Banaitis's classmate was Kazys Grinius, future President of Lithuania.

In 1883, Saliamonas Banaitis was forced to quit school when his brother died and his mother needed help at the 71-hectare farm.

Saliamonas Banaitis never finished his education and was the only of the twenty signatories without tertiary education.

Saliamonas Banaitis began smuggling Lithuanian books that were banned by the Tsarist authorities and successfully evaded the police.

Saliamonas Banaitis's farm became known as a center of Lithuanian culture.

In 1890, Saliamonas Banaitis married Marijona, sister of priest Justinas Pranaitis and organist Petras Juozas Pranaitis.

Son Kazimieras Viktoras Saliamonas Banaitis studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and became a known composer.

Saliamonas Banaitis bought equipment in Warsaw from Jonas Smilgevicius and attempted to produce butter and cheese, but other farmers did not support the effort and the enterprise failed.

Saliamonas Banaitis attended the Great Seimas of Vilnius in December 1905, but was not very active in its proceedings.

When Germans captured Kaunas in summer 1915, Saliamonas Banaitis published newspaper Kauno zinios.

Saliamonas Banaitis wanted to publish it only in Lithuanian, but Ober Ost officials insisted on translating it to German and Polish.

Saliamonas Banaitis wanted to publish other Lithuanian periodicals, but did not get a permit from the German authorities.

Back in 1904, Saliamonas Banaitis joined the Daina Society which organized music and theater performances.

In 1915, Saliamonas Banaitis organized Kaunas chapter of the Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers and became its vice-chairman.

In early September 1915, Saliamonas Banaitis managed to obtain a permit for a Lithuanian gymnasium.

Saliamonas Banaitis further established 12 elementary schools and was their inspector.

Saliamonas Banaitis decided to hire Pranas Puskunigis, a known kankles player from Skriaudziai, to establish and lead a kankles ensemble from his press workers.

In September 1917, as a member of the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party, Saliamonas Banaitis attended Vilnius Conference and was elected to the 20-member Council of Lithuania.

On 15 January 1918, Saliamonas Banaitis was appointed to a three-member commission to initiate the creation of Lithuanian police and military, but the German administration would not allow it.

Saliamonas Banaitis's goal was to recruit 2,000 volunteers in Kaunas.

Saliamonas Banaitis founded and became vice-chairman of the Economic and Political Union of Lithuanian Farmers.

In October 1919, Saliamonas Banaitis began editing and publishing party's newspaper Zemdirbiu balsas.

Saliamonas Banaitis returned to publishing in February 1928 when he established weekly newspaper Tautos kelias.

In June 1928, Saliamonas Banaitis resigned as editor in favor of Algirdas Sliesoraitis, one of the founders of the Iron Wolf organization.

Saliamonas Banaitis was elected to its council and obtained 300,000 German marks to purchase weapons and ammunition for the Lithuanian Army from the Germans.

Saliamonas Banaitis had several steamships, including Rambynas, Reinholdas, Egle, Gulbe.

In 1927, Saliamonas Banaitis decided to expand on the shipping business to the Lithuanians emigrants headed towards the South America.

The Lithuanian government ordered Saliamonas Banaitis to find a different ship owner to represent and, when he failed to do so, terminated the permit for Amerika in March 1931.

In 1927, Saliamonas Banaitis became a free non-matriculated student at the Law Faculty of the University of Lithuania.

Saliamonas Banaitis was instrumental in purchasing the plot of land next to the Kaunas railway station and starting the construction.

Saliamonas Banaitis suffered bleeding from a stomach ulcer and died on 4 May 1933 in Kaunas.

Saliamonas Banaitis was buried in the old Kaunas cemetery and reburied in the Petrasiunai Cemetery when the old cemetery was converted into the present-day Ramybe Park.

Saliamonas Banaitis left debts that he used to finance his business ventures.