Adamkus, Valdas, << ah DUHM kuhs, VAHL duhs >> (1926-…), was president of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2009. Prior to 1998, he had never held office in Lithuania and had lived in the United States since 1949.
Adamkus was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Nov. 3, 1926. During World War II (1939-1945), the country was occupied first by the Soviet Union and later by Germany. While the Germans were in control, Adamkus edited an underground newspaper opposing Nazi rule. In 1944, Adamkus fought against the invading Soviet army. The Soviets conquered Lithuania, and Adamkus and his family fled to Germany.
In 1949, Adamkus and his family immigrated to the United States. Adamkus earned a civil engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago in 1960. In 1971, he joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 1981, he became the regional administrator for the EPA’s Great Lakes Region.
While living in the United States, Adamkus kept close ties with Lithuania. He served in various Lithuanian-American organizations and visited Lithuania frequently. Adamkus served as coordinator of U.S. environmental aid to the Baltic States. In 1993, he headed the Lithuanian presidential campaign of Stasys Lozoraitis, Lithuania’s ambassador to the United States, who lost the election.
In 1997, after retiring from the EPA, Adamkus returned to Lithuania and launched a campaign for the presidency. A Lithuanian court ruled that he met the residency requirements to run for president. He won the election by a narrow margin in a second-round runoff.
As president, Adamkus sought membership for Lithuania in the European Union, an organization of European countries that cooperate in politics and economics. He also pursued membership for the country in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of Western nations. He promoted environmentally safe practices and sought to improve Lithuania’s economy.
Adamkus ran for reelection in 2002 and won the most votes in the first round of voting. However, he lost the second round in early 2003. In 2004, Lithuania’s parliament removed President Rolandas Paksas from office after he was charged with corruption. Paksas had defeated Adamkus in 2003. Adamkus then won presidential elections held in June 2004. He did not run for reelection in 2009.
