List of heads of state of Lithuania facts for kids

This article is a list of the leaders of Lithuania throughout its history. It includes all the people who were in charge of Lithuania when it was an independent country, or when it was part of a larger country, a country controlled by another, or a republic within the Soviet Union. Today, the leader of Lithuania is called the President.

In the past, during the special ceremonies for Lithuanian kings before 1569, a special crown called the Gediminas' Cap was placed on their heads by the Bishop of Vilnius in Vilnius Cathedral.

Kingdom of Lithuania (1251–1263)

The leader during this time was called the King of Lithuania (in Lithuanian: Lietuvos karalius). The exact dates are a bit unclear because there aren't many old writings from that time.

The Mindaugas Family (1253–1263)

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
King Mindaugas 1236 – 1253 (as Grand Duke) 1253 – 1263 (as King)		Born around 1203 Son of the legendary Ringaudas	(1) Unknown wife, sister of Morta 2 children (2) Morta 2 children	Died in 1263 in Aglona He was killed by Treniota and Daumantas He was about 60 years old.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1263–1569)

During this period, the leader was called the Grand Duke (in Lithuanian: didysis kunigaikštis). Like before, the exact dates are sometimes hard to know because of limited historical records.

The Mindaugas Family (1263–1267)

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Grand Duke Treniota 1263 – 1264		Birth date unknown Son of an unknown sister of Mindaugas and Vykintas	Unknown 1 child	Died in 1264 He was murdered by servants who were loyal to Mindaugas' son Vaišvilkas.
Grand Duke Vaišvilkas 1264 – 1267		Birth date unknown Son of Mindaugas and Morta	Unmarried and had no children	Died in 1268 He was murdered by Leo I of Galicia.

The Monomakh Family (1267–1269)

The Mindaugas Family (1269–1285)

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Grand Duke Traidenis 1270 – 1282		Born in 1220	Ona of Masovia 1 child	Died in 1282 in Kernavė He was 62 years old.
Grand Duke Daumantas 1282 – 1285		Birth date unknown	Unknown	Died on 3 March 1285 He died in a battle near Tver.

The Gediminas Family (1285–1440)

Name	Portrait	Arms	Birth	Marriages	Death
Grand Duke Butigeidis 1285 – 1291		No known birth date	Unknown Son of Skalmantas (?)	Unknown	Died in 1291.
Grand Duke Butvydas 1291 – 1295		No known birth date	Unknown Son of Skalmantas (?)	Unknown	Died around 1294–1295.
Grand Duke Vytenis 1295 – 1316		No known birth date	Born in 1260 Son of Butvydas	Vikinda 1 child	Died in 1316 He was 56 years old.
Grand Duke Gediminas 1316 – 1341		No known birth date	Born around 1275 Son of Butvydas	Jaunė 13 children	Died around 1341 in Raudonė He was about 66 years old.
Grand Duke Jaunutis 1341 – 1345		No known birth date	Born around 1306−1309 Son of Gediminas and Jaunė	Unknown 3 children	Died around 1366 He was 57−60 years old.
Grand Duke (Shared power with Kęstutis) Algirdas 1345 – 1377			Born around 1296 Son of Gediminas and Jaunė	(1) Maria of Vitebsk 6 children (2) Uliana of Tver 8 children	Died around 1377 in Maišiagala He was about 81 years old.
Grand Duke (Shared power with Kęstutis) Jogaila Algirdaitis May 1377 – August 1381			Born around 1352−1362 in Vilnius Son of Algirdas and Uliana of Tver	(1) Jadwiga of Poland No children (2) Anna of Cilli 1 child (3) Elizabeth Granowska No children (4) Sophia of Halshany 2 children	Died on 1 June 1434 in Gródek Jagielloński He was 72−82 years old.
Grand Duke Kęstutis 1381 – 1382			Born around 1297 in Senieji Trakai Son of Gediminas and Jaunė	Birutė 3 children	Died in 1382 in Kreva He was murdered while imprisoned, on Jogaila's orders. He was 84–85 years old.
Grand Duke Jogaila Algirdaitis 3 August 1382 – 1 June 1434 (51 years, 302 days)			Born around 1352−1362 in Vilnius Son of Algirdas and Uliana of Tver	(1) Jadwiga of Poland No children (2) Anna of Cilli 1 child (3) Elizabeth Granowska No children (4) Sophia of Halshany 2 children	Died on 1 June 1434 in Gródek Jagielloński He was 72−82 years old.
Act of Kreva signed in 1385 After this agreement, Poland and Lithuania were ruled by the same person, but they were still separate countries.
King of Poland and Grand Duke Jogaila Algirdaitis 3 August 1382 – 1 June 1434 (51 years, 302 days)			Born around 1352−1362 in Vilnius Son of Algirdas and Uliana of Tver	(1) Jadwiga of Poland No children (2) Anna of Cilli 1 child (3) Elizabeth Granowska No children (4) Sophia of Halshany 2 children	Died on 1 June 1434 in Gródek Jagielloński He was 72−82 years old.
Grand Duke Skirgaila 1386 – 1392			Born around 1353–1354 in Vilnius Son of Algirdas and Uliana of Tver	Unmarried and had no children	Died on 11 January 1397 in Kyiv He might have been poisoned by Russian Orthodox priests. He was 43−44 years old.
Astrava Agreement signed in 1392 After a civil war in Lithuania, Skirgaila was replaced by Vytautas. Vytautas and the leaders after him acted as regents (temporary rulers) for the King of Poland until 1440.
Grand Duke King-elect of Lithuania Vytautas Vytautas the Great 4 August 1392 – 27 October 1430 (38 years, 84 days)			Born around 1350 in Senieji Trakai Son of Kęstutis and Birutė	(1) Anna 1 child (2) Uliana Olshanska No children	Died on 27 October 1430 in Trakai He was about 80 years old.
Grand Duke Švitrigaila October 1430 – 1 August 1432			Born before 1370 in Vilnius Son of Algirdas and Uliana of Tver	Anna of Tver 1 child	Died on 10 February 1452 in Lutsk He was about 82 years old.
Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis Lithuanian: Žygimantas Kęstutaitis 1432 – 1440			Born in 1365 in Trakai Son of Kęstutis and Birutė	Unknown 1 child	Died on 20 March 1440 in Trakai He was murdered by people who supported Švitrigaila. He was 75 years old.

The Jagiellon Family (1440–1569)

The Gediminids-Jagiellonians were a family of rulers who led medieval Lithuania.

The agreement to have the same ruler for Poland and Lithuania was signed in 1385. However, the two countries only consistently had the same ruler starting with Casimir IV. Even then, Poland and Lithuania sometimes chose different rulers after a common monarch died, but the Lithuanian ruler always ended up becoming the Polish king too. The rulers kept separate titles for both parts of the state. The Jagiellon dynasty was a direct continuation of the Gediminids family.

Name	Portrait	Arms	Birth	Marriages	Death
King of Poland and Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon Lithuanian: Kazimieras Jogailaitis 29 June 1440 – 7 June 1492 (51 years, 344 days)			Born on 30 November 1427 in Kraków Son of Jogaila Algirdaitis and Sophia of Halshany	Elisabeth of Austria 12 children	Died on 7 June 1492 in Old Grodno Castle He was 64 years old.
King of Poland and Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon Lithuanian: Aleksandras Jogailaitis 30 July 1492 – 19 August 1506 (14 years, 20 days)			Born on 5 August 1461 in Kraków Son of Kazimieras Jogailaitis and Elisabeth of Austria	Helena of Moscow No children	Died on 19 August 1506 in Vilnius He was 45 years old.
King of Poland and Grand Duke Sigismund I Sigismund I the Old Lithuanian: Žygimantas Senasis 8 December 1506 – 1 April 1548 (41 years, 115 days)			Born on 1 January 1467 in Kozienice Son of Kazimieras Jogailaitis and Elisabeth of Austria	(1) Barbara Zápolya 2 children (2) Bona Sforza 6 children	Died on 1 April 1548 in Kraków He was 81 years old.
King of Poland and Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus Lithuanian: Žygimantas Augustas 1 April 1548 – 7 July 1572 (24 years, 97 days)			Born on 1 August 1520 in Kraków Son of Žygimantas the Old and Bona Sforza	(1) Elisabeth of Austria No children (2) Barbara Radziwiłł No children (3) Catherine of Austria No children	Died on 7 July 1572 in Knyszyn He was 51 years old.
Union of Lublin signed in 1569 Poland and Lithuania joined together to form a single country called the Commonwealth.

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was created by the Union of Lublin in 1569. This meant that the person elected as King of Poland would automatically become the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Before this, the title of Lithuanian Duke was passed down through families. Sigismund II Augustus was the first ruler of both countries.

During a time of war called the Deluge (part of the Second Northern War), Lithuania signed an agreement with Sweden in 1655 called the Union of Kėdainiai. This agreement officially ended its union with Poland. However, Sweden lost the war, so the agreement was not fully put into action, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth continued. After parts of the country were taken by other powers in 1772, 1793, and 1795, the Commonwealth ended. Lithuania then became part of the Russian Empire for 123 years. There are some gaps in the timeline because it took time to elect new kings. The first Grand Duke elected after the Gediminid family line ended and after Henry III left for France was Stephen Báthory. He worked to be recognized as Grand Duke of Lithuania by starting Vilnius University.

The leader was called the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Name	Portrait	Arms	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim	Family
King of Poland and Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus Lithuanian: Žygimantas Augustas 1 July 1569 – 7 July 1572			Born on 1 August 1520 in Kraków Son of Žygimantas the Old and Bona Sforza	(3) Elisabeth of Austria Barbara Radziwiłł Catherine of Austria	Died on 7 July 1572 in Knyszyn He was 51 years old.	Inherited the title He was the first ruler to introduce the idea of electing the monarch.	Jagiellon
King of Poland and Grand Duke Henry Lithuanian: Henrikas Valua 16 May 1573 – 12 May 1575			Born on 19 September 1551 in Fontainebleau Son of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici	(1) Louise of Lorraine, no children	Died on 2 August 1589 in Saint-Cloud He was 37 years old.	Elected He left Poland in June 1574 to become king of France after his brother died. There was no ruler until 1575.	Valois
Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess Anna Lithuanian: Ona Jogailaitė 15 December 1575 – 19 August 1587 (actual rule) – 9 September 1596 (official rule)			Born on 18 October 1523 in Kraków Daughter of Sigismund I and Bona Sforza	(1) Stephen Báthory, no children	Died on 9 September 1596 in Warsaw She was 72 years old.	Elected to rule with Stephen Báthory She ruled alone until Báthory arrived and was crowned in May 1576. She ruled after her husband's death until her nephew was elected.	Jagiellon
King of Poland and Grand Duke Stephen Báthory Lithuanian: Steponas Batoras 1 May 1576 – 12 December 1586			Born on 27 September 1533 in Szilágysomlyó (Șimleu Silvaniei) Son of Stephen Báthory of Somlyó and Catherine Telegdi	(1) Anna Jagiellon, no children	Died on 12 December 1586 in Grodno He was 53 years old.	Elected to rule with Anna Jagiellon He was previously the Prince of Transylvania.	Báthory
King of Poland and Grand Duke Sigismund III Lithuanian: Zigmantas Vaza 19 August 1587 – 30 April 1632			Born on 20 June 1566 in Gripsholm Son of John III of Sweden and Catherine Jagiellon	(1) Anne of Austria (2) Constance of Austria	Died on 30 April 1632 in Warsaw He was 65 years old.	Elected, he was Anna Jagiellon's nephew. He moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw. He was also the King of Sweden by birth until he was removed in 1599.	Vasa
King of Poland and Grand Duke Władysław IV also Ladislaus IV Lithuanian: Vladislovas Vaza 8 November 1632 – 20 May 1648			Born on 9 June 1595 in Łobzów Son of Sigismund III and Anne of Austria	(1) Cecilia Renata of Austria (2) Marie Louise Gonzaga	Died on 20 May 1648 in Merkinė He was 52 years old.	Elected to succeed his father. He was also the King of Sweden by title and was elected Tsar of Russia (1610–1613) when the Polish army captured Moscow.	Vasa
King of Poland and Grand Duke John II Casimir Lithuanian: Jonas Kazimieras Vaza 20 November 1648 – 16 September 1668			Born on 22 March 1609 in Kraków Son of Sigismund III and Constance of Austria	(1) Marie Louise Gonzaga (2) Claudine Françoise Mignot (married in a way that his children could not inherit the throne)	Died on 16 December 1672 in Nevers He was 63 years old.	Elected to succeed his half-brother. He was previously a cardinal. He had conflicts with Charles X Gustav between 1655–1657. He was also the King of Sweden by title. He gave up his throne.	Vasa
King of Poland and Grand Duke Michael I Lithuanian: Mykolas Kaributas Višnioveckis 19 June 1669 – 10 November 1673			Born on 31 May 1640 in Biały Kamień Son of Jeremi Wiśniowiecki and Gryzelda Konstancja Zamoyska	(1) Eleonora Maria of Austria, no children	Died on 10 November 1673 in Lwów He was 33 years old.	Elected He was born into a noble family with mixed heritage.	Wiśniowiecki
King of Poland and Grand Duke John III Sobieski Lithuanian: Jonas Sobieskis 19 May 1674 – 17 June 1696			Born on 17 August 1629 in Olesko Son of Jakub Sobieski and Teofila Zofia	(1) Marie Casimire d'Arquien, 13 children	Died on 17 June 1696 in Wilanów He was 66 years old.	Elected Born into a noble family. He was a very successful military leader.	Sobieski
King of Poland and Grand Duke Augustus II Lithuanian: Augustas II Stiprusis 15 September 1697 – 1706 (1st reign, 9 years)			Born on 12 May 1670 in Dresden Son of John George III and Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark	(1) Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, 1 son	Died on 1 February 1733 in Warsaw He was 62 years old.	Elected He was also the Elector and ruler of Saxony. He was removed from power by Stanislaus I in 1706 during the Great Northern War.	Wettin
King of Poland and Grand Duke Stanislaus I Lithuanian: Stanislovas I Leščinskis 12 July 1704 – 8 July 1709 (1st reign)			Born on 20 October 1677 in Lwów Son of Rafał Leszczyński and Anna Jabłonowska	(1) Catherine Opalińska, 2 children	Died on 23 February 1766 in Lunéville He was 88 years old.	Took power illegally He was named ruler in 1704, crowned in 1705, and removed the previous king in 1706. He was sent away in 1709.	Leszczyński
King of Poland and Grand Duke Augustus II Lithuanian: Augustas II Stiprusis 8 July 1709 – 1 February 1733 (2nd reign)			Born on 12 May 1670 in Dresden Son of John George III and Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark	(1) Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, 1 son	Died on 1 February 1733 in Warsaw He was 62 years old.	Restored to power.	Wettin
King of Poland and Grand Duke Stanislaus I Lithuanian: Stanislovas I Leščinskis 12 September 1733 – 26 January 1736 (2nd reign)			Born on 20 October 1677 in Lwów Son of Rafał Leszczyński and Anna Jabłonowska	(1) Catherine Opalińska, 2 children	Died on 23 February 1766 in Lunéville He was 88 years old.	Elected His election started the War of the Polish Succession. He was removed from power by Augustus III in 1736.	Leszczyński
King of Poland and Grand Duke Augustus III Lithuanian: Augustas III Saksas 5 October 1733 – 5 October 1763 (30 years)			Born on 17 October 1696 in Dresden Son of Augustus II the Strong and Christiane Eberhardine	(1) Maria Josepha of Austria, 16 children	Died on 5 October 1763 in Dresden He was 66 years old.	Took power illegally He was declared King of Poland in 1733 and crowned in 1734. He removed the elected king in 1736.	Wettin
King of Poland and Grand Duke Stanislaus II Augustus Lithuanian: Stanislovas Augustas II Poniatovskis 7 September 1764 – 25 November 1795			Born on 17 January 1732 in Wołczyn Son of Stanisław Poniatowski and Konstancja Czartoryska	Unmarried	Died on 1 February 1798 in Saint Petersburg He was 66 years old.	Elected Born into a noble family. He was the last King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His rule ended when Poland was divided up by other countries.	Poniatowski

Kingdom of Lithuania (1918)

The Council of Lithuania declared Lithuania's independence on 16 February 1918. They invited Wilhelm of Urach to become the king of Lithuania. The country was called the Kingdom of Lithuania. On 9 July 1918, Duke Wilhelm accepted the offer and took the name Mindaugas II. However, on 2 November, the council changed their mind because it looked like Germany would lose World War I.

The Urach Family (1918)

Name	Portrait	Arms	Birth	Marriages	Death
King Mindaugas II 11 July 1918 – 2 November 1918			Born on 30 May 1864 Son of Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach and Princess Florestine of Monaco	Duchess Amalie in Bavaria Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria	Died on 24 March 1928.

Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940)

Leaders of the Council of Lithuania

Lithuania was first led by the Presidium of the State Council of Lithuania. Its chairman was the actual head of state. The official position of President was created on 4 April 1919. The chairman of the Presidium, Antanas Smetona, was elected as the first President of Lithuania. He was the only one whose role was considered the head of state during his time in this position.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office	Party		Election	Prime Minister
1	Antanas Smetona	Antanas Smetona (1874–1944)	2 November 1918 – 4 April 1919		Party of National Progress	1917 Chosen by the Council	The position was officially created on November 11, 1918.
							Augustinas Voldemaras
							Mykolas Sleževičius
							Pranas Dovydaitis

Presidents of the Republic of Lithuania

The official position of President (in Lithuanian: Prezidentas) was created on 4 April 1919. Antanas Smetona was elected as the first President of Lithuania.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office	Party		Election	Prime Minister
1	Antanas Smetona	Antanas Smetona (1874–1944)	4 April 1919 – 19 June 1920		Party of National Progress	4 April 1919 Chosen by the Council	Pranas Dovydaitis
							Mykolas Sleževičius
	Aleksandras Stulginskis	Aleksandras Stulginskis (1885–1969) Acting	19 June 1919 – 21 December 1922		Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	Acting President as Chairman of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania
–
							Ernestas Galvanauskas
							Kazys Grinius
	Aleksandras Stulginskis	Aleksandras Stulginskis (1885–1969)	21 December 1922 – 7 June 1926		Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	21 December 1922 Chosen by the Seimas (Parliament)
2
							Ernestas Galvanauskas
							Antanas Tumėnas
							Vytautas Petrulis
							Leonas Bistras
	Kazys Grinius	Kazys Grinius (1866–1950)	7 June 1926 – 18 December 1926		Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union	7 June 1926 Chosen by the Seimas
3
							Mykolas Sleževičius
							Augustinas Voldemaras
Coup d'état in 1926
–	Jonas Staugaitis	Jonas Staugaitis (1866–1950) Acting	18 December 1926 – 19 December 1926		Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union	Not elected — acting President after the coup	Augustinas Voldemaras
–	Aleksandras Stulginskis	Aleksandras Stulginskis (1885–1969) Acting	19 December 1926		Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	Not elected — acting President after the coup
	Antanas Smetona	Antanas Smetona (1874–1944)	19 December 1926 – 15 June 1940		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	19 December 1926 In elections that were not fair
1
							Juozas Tūbelis
							Juozas Tūbelis
							Juozas Tūbelis
						11 December 1931 In elections that were not fair
							Vladas Mironas
						14 October 1938 In elections that were not fair
							Vladas Mironas
							Jonas Černius
							Antanas Merkys
15 June 1940 — First Soviet occupation of Lithuania
–	Antanas Merkys	Antanas Merkys (1877–1955) Acting	15 June 1940 – 17 June 1940		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	Not elected — officially acting President	Antanas Merkys
–	Justas Paleckis	Justas Paleckis (1899–1980) Acting	17 June 1940 – 15 August 1940		Communist Party of Lithuania	Not elected — a leader by name only acting President put in place by the Soviet leadership	Justas Paleckis Acting
							The position was officially ended on June 24, 1940.

Leaders Recognized After Their Death

These individuals were recognized as acting Presidents after they had passed away.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	In Office	Cause of Death	Date of Recognition
–	Jonas Žemaitis	General Jonas Žemaitis (1909–1954) Acting	16 February 1949 – 26 November 1954	In 1954, he was shot in Butyrka prison, Moscow, Russia.	March, 2009 By the Seimas
–	Adolfas Ramanauskas	Colonel Adolfas Ramanauskas (1918–1957) Acting	26 November 1954 – 29 November 1957	In 1957, he was shot in Vilnius, Lithuania.	November, 2018 By the Seimas

Heads of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service

After the Soviet Union took over Lithuania on 15 June 1940, the last Foreign Minister, Juozas Urbšys, sent a message on 31 May 1940. He said that if Lithuania was occupied, Stasys Lozoraitis, who was a special minister in Rome, should become the head of Lithuania's diplomatic service. This diplomatic service became like a government in exile. It was very important for making sure other countries still recognized Lithuania as a legal state until it became independent again after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

No.	Picture	Name	Term	Notes
1	Stasys Lozoraitis	Stasys Lozoraitis	15 June 1940 – 24 December 1983	Took office after the Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1940.
2		Stasys Bačkis	24 December 1983 – 15 November 1987	Took office after Stasys Lozoraitis died in 1983.
–	Stasys Lozoraitis Jr.	Stasys Lozoraitis Jr.	15 November 1987 – 6 September 1991	Became the actual Head of the Diplomatic Service after Stasys Bačkis left Washington, D.C. in 1988.

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1941)

The Soviet Union took over Lithuania and created the Lithuanian SSR in July 1940.

First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Lithuania

These leaders were called the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	In Office	Party		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet	General Secretary of the CPSU
1	Emblem of Lithuanian SSR	Antanas Sniečkus (1903–1974)	21 July 1940 – 24 June 1941		Communist Party of Lithuania	Justas Paleckis (1899–1980)	Joseph Stalin
22 June 1941 — Nazi occupation of Lithuania

Generalbezirk Litauen (1941–1944)

When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, Lithuania fought back against the Soviets in the June Uprising and declared its independence again. For a short time, Lithuania was led by the Provisional Government of Lithuania, with Juozas Ambrazevičius as its prime minister. This government was formed on 23 June 1941 but was dissolved on 5 August of the same year.

Lithuania was then taken over by the Germans, who created Generalbezirk Litauen (General District of Lithuania) on 25 July 1941. This area was governed by General Commissioner Adrian von Renteln and was part of Reichskommissariat Ostland.

General Commissioners of Generalbezirk Litauen

These leaders were called the General Commissioner of the General District of Lithuania.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	In Office	Party		General Counselor	Reichskommissar of the Ostland
1	Adrian von Renteln	Adrian von Renteln (1897–1946)	August 1941 – August 1944		Nazi Party	General Petras Kubiliūnas (1894–1946)	Hinrich Lohse
1944 — Second Soviet occupation of Lithuania

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1944–1990)

As Nazi Germany pulled back, the Soviet Union took over Lithuania again and brought back the Lithuanian SSR in 1944. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was officially the collective head of state from 25 August 1940 to 11 March 1990. However, the Supreme Soviet was actually controlled by the Communist Party of Lithuania, led by its First Secretary.

First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Lithuania

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	In Office	Party		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet	General Secretary of the CPSU
1	Antanas Sniečkus	Antanas Sniečkus (1903–1974)	13 July 1944 – 22 January 1974		Communist Party of Lithuania	Justas Paleckis (1899–1980)	Joseph Stalin
							Nikita Khruschev
							Leonid Brezhnev
						Motiejus Šumauskas (1905–1982)
–	Emblem of Lithuanian SSR	Valery Khazarov (1918–2013) Acting	22 January 1974 – 18 February 1974		Communist Party of Lithuania
	Emblem of Lithuanian SSR	Petras Griškevičius (1924–1987)	18 February 1974 – 14 November 1987		Communist Party of Lithuania
2
						Antanas Barkauskas (1899–1980)
							Yuri Andropov
							Konstantin Chernenko
							Mikhail Gorbachev
	Emblem of the Lithuanian SSR	Nikolay Mitkin (1929–1998) Acting	14 November 1987 – 1 December 1987		Communist Party of Lithuania
–
						Ringaudas Songaila (1929–2019)
3	Emblem of the Lithuanian SSR	Ringaudas Songaila (1929–2019)	1 December 1987 – 19 October 1988		Communist Party of Lithuania	Vytautas Astrauskas (1930–2017)
	Algirdas Brazauskas	Algirdas Brazauskas (1932–2010)	19 October 1988 – 11 March 1990		Communist Party of Lithuania
4
						Algirdas Brazauskas (1932–2010)
7 December 1989 — The "leading role" of the Communist Party was removed from the constitution.
11 March 1990 — Lithuania became independent again.

Republic of Lithuania (1990–present)

The leader of the Supreme Council was the official head of state from the declaration of independence on 11 March 1990. This lasted until a new Constitution was put in place in 1992, which created the office of President and the Seimas (Parliament). The state and its leaders were not recognized by other countries until September 1991. (However, Iceland was the first country to recognize Lithuania's regained independence in February 1991.)

From 1990 to 1992, the leader was called the Chairman of the Supreme Council (Parliament; in Lithuanian: Aukščiausiosios Tarybos pirmininkas). From 1992 onwards, the leader is called the President (in Lithuanian: prezidentas).

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	Elected	Took Office	Left Office	Political Party	Notes
-	Vytautas Landsbergis	Vytautas Landsbergis (born 1932)	–	11 March 1990	25 November 1992	Sąjūdis	As Chairman of the Supreme Council.
The Speaker of the Seimas, Algirdas Brazauskas, served as acting President from 25 November 1992 to 25 February 1993.
1	Algirdas Brazauskas	Algirdas Brazauskas (1932–2010)	1993	25 February 1993	25 February 1998	Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania	First President of the Republic of Lithuania.
2	Valdas Adamkus	Valdas Adamkus (born 1926)	1997–98	26 February 1998	26 February 2003	Independent
3	Rolandas Paksas	Rolandas Paksas (born 1956)	2002–03	26 February 2003	6 April 2004	Order and Justice	He was removed from office after being accused of wrongdoing.
The Speaker of the Seimas, Artūras Paulauskas, served as acting President from 6 April to 12 July 2004.
(2)	Valdas Adamkus	Valdas Adamkus (born 1926)	2004	12 July 2004	12 July 2009	Independent
4	Dalia Grybauskaitė	Dalia Grybauskaitė (born 1956)	2009 2014	12 July 2009	12 July 2019	Independent	First female President of Lithuania. She was also the first President to be reelected.
5	Gitanas Nausėda	Gitanas Nausėda (born 1964)	2019 2024	12 July 2019	Incumbent	Independent

Timeline

See also

• List of Lithuanian monarchs
• List of Lithuanian consorts
• List of early Lithuanian dukes