Sugrįžęs į Lietuvą žemės saujele (apie Ministrą Pirmininką Antaną Merkį)

ENAfter Antanas Smetona moved to Germany, just before the occupation of Lithuania, the last prime minister of interwar Lithuania Antanas Merkys governed the country during this complicated period, which was influenced by the secret agreements between Germany and the Soviet Union. Antanas Merkys was born on February 1, 1887 in Bajorai village of Skapiškis county of Rokiškis district (now Kupiškis district) in the family of Ona Plūkaitė from Kereliai village and Karolis Merkys from Bajorai village. In January 1919, Antanas Merkys as a volunteer joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces and was appointed the head of the Legal Department of the Ministry of National Defence. He was one of the preparers of the draft of the Law on War Censorship, although this law was never adopted. The post of Minister of National Defence was offered to Antanas Merkys at Pranas Dovydaitis Cabinet of Ministers. A month later, the same post was offered in Mykolas Sleževičius Government. After the upheaval on December 17, 1926, a new Cabinet of Ministers was formed with A. Voldemaras at the forefront, where Antanas Merkys occupied the post of the Minister of National Defence. After the controversies and disagreements with A. Voldemaras, the Minister of National Defence A. Merkys had to resign on August 9, 1927, and in the autumn of the same year he was appointed as a Governor of Klaipėda region (this post was equal to that of the minister). Between 1925 and 1940, A. Merkys was a member of the Union of Nationalists, as well as was one of its creators. On May 19, 1932, under the requirement of supporters of Germanisation, the Governor A. Merkys was withdrawn from his post in Klaipėda. For some time, he worked as a lawyer, later – as a civil servant consultant.On December 21, 1933, he was elected Kaunas city burgomaster. In 1934, together with likeminded persons, he established “Rotary” club in Kaunas. For a long time, till February 1940, he was the head of the union of reserve officers of Lithuanian Armed Forces. In May 1936, he was elected a member of the Fourth Seimas and became the head of Petitions Committee. After the regain of Vilnius and Vilnius region, from November 21, 1939 to June 17, 1940, Antanas Merkys was appointed to work in a separate administrative unit of Lithuania. He was the last prime minister of interwar Lithuania. After the President Antanas Smetona withdrew from Lithuania, he was the acting President. In July 1940, A. Merkys was arrested. Soon his wife Marija and son Gediminas were arrested too. For some time, the Soviet government kept the Merkiai in Saratov near Volga. After the war started, the Merkiai were forbidden to leave the house. On June 26, 1941, they were arrested and imprisoned. Later they were imprisoned in a range of prisons: in Saratov, Kirov, Butyrka (in Moscow), Vladimir. Until 1952, the Merkiai were imprisoned without a court decision, and in 1952 they were sentenced to 25 years in prison. Antanas Merkys was released from Vladimir prison only on August 27,1954, without the right to return to Lithuania. He was severely ill and for some time he was treated in Vladimir hospital. Then he was transferred to Melenkai (Milenkai) home for the disabled in Vladimir county. He died on March 5, 1955 and was buried in the cemetery of that town. The roofed pole, created by Henrikas Orakauskas and Leonas Perekšlis and which was built in 1991 in Bajorai village of Kupiškis district, marks the homestead where the future figure of Lithuanian state Antanas Merkys was born.