Alma Adamkienė (née Nutautaitė; 10 February 1927 – 21 May 2023) was a Lithuanian

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

and philanthropist. She was the wife of the president of Lithuania,

Valdas Adamkus Valdas Adamkus (; born Voldemaras Adamkavičius; November 3, 1926) is a Lithuanian politician, diplomat and civil engineer who served as the fifth and seventh president of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009. Adamku ...

, and was First Lady during his two terms (1998–2003 and 2004–2009). She also held United States citizenship.

Early life

Adamkienė was born in

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

on 10 February 1928. Her father, Stasys Nutautas, was a businessman; her mother, Ona Soblytė-Nutautienė, assisted her husband in various commercial activities. In 1944, when the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

returned to Lithuania, Alma Nutautaitė fled with her family to the West. She finished high school in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and later studied Philology at

Erlangen University Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

Life in the United States

Alma Nutautaitė emigrated to the United States in 1949. She first worked as a laboratory assistant at a steel factory. Later, she took a position with an

insurance company Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

. She also organized and participated in Lithuanian émigré activities. Nutautaitė married Valdas Adamkus in 1951, and took her husband's surname (she was known as Alma Adamkus in the United States).

First Lady

During the presidential election held in Lithuania in 1997, Valdas Adamkus campaigned for the presidency and won. After Adamkus became president, Adamkienė became involved in various Lithuanian social programs focusing on the welfare of children. She opened a foundation, the Alma Adamkienė Charity and Support Fund, in 1999.

Personal life and death

Adamkienė had no children. She died from a stroke in Vilnius, on 21 May 2023, at the age of 96.

Honours

1998 : Member 1st Class of the

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise () is a Ukrainian award. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, strengthening the international prestige of Ukraine, develop ...

2001 : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

2004 : Member 1st Class of the

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

2006 : Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown. 2007 : Grand Cross of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...

2009 : Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

References

External links

Alma Adamkienė Charity and Support Fund
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamkiene, Alma 1927 births 2023 deaths First ladies of Lithuania Lithuanian refugees in the United States Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands) Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 1st Class University of Erlangen–Nuremberg alumni People from Šiauliai