Signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania recognition. The signatories succeeded in their mission and independent Lithuania survived until the Soviet Union occupied the state on June 15, 1940. Their political, professional, and social backgrounds were diverse. Several rose to political prominence; Antanas Smetona and Aleksandras Stulginskis were later elected Presidents of Lithuania and Jonas Vileišis went on to become mayor of Kaunas, the temporary capital of Lithuania. After Lithuania lost its independence during World War II, six of the surviving signatories were sent to prison or executed by the Soviet government and six others emigrated to Western countries. The signatories came from a variety of social
Bank of Lithuania Bank of Lithuania The Bank of Lithuania () is the central bank of the Republic of Lithuania. "The Bank of Lithuania" is a member of the European System of Central Banks. The chairman of the bank is Vitas Vasiliauskas. Until 2015, the Bank of Lithuania was responsible for issuing the former Lithuanian currency, the litas. According to the Bank's official website, the Bank of Lithuania performs these primary functions: The Bank is governed by a board consisting of a chairperson, two deputy chairpersons and two members. According to The Bank of Lithuania official website, it is managed by Supervision Service;