Pranas Mašiotas (Lithuania) was a teacher of mathematics, publicist, cultural figure, well-known children’s author.
After the beginning of the World War I, quite a number of the exiled Lithuanians gathered in Riga. In cooperation with Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Mašiotas was the representative of the Central Lithuanian Committee for the War Victims.
He wrote for the newspapers “Šviesa”, “Vienybė Lietuvninkų”, “Varpas”, “Lietuvių laikraštis” (he wrote a children column in this newspaper), “Vilniaus žinios”, “Viltis” (he was a part-owner of this publication), “Vairas””, “Rygos Garsas” (he edited the chronicles of this publication in 1910) in Riga. Mašiotas did a lot of work in the Lithuanian organisations in Riga.
In cooperation with Marcelinas Šikšnys, Mašiotas founded the Lithuanian education society “Žvaigždė” in 1906; he was its first chairman and later – its honorary member. This society supported seven Lithuanian primary schools and adult education courses in Riga.
The first Lithuanian gymnasium in Klaipėda was opened in the premises of Klaipėda Teachers’ Seminary in 1922. Mašiotas became its head in 1924. Educator was involved in social activities in Klaipėda; he was the member of the Steering Committee of the Lithuanian National Navy.
The title of Honorary Doctor of the University of Lithuania was awarded for his engineering activities and promotion of the entrepreneurship ideas and his life-long activities contributing to the Lithuanian national revival.
