Michał Pius Römer

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Michał Pius Römer, later used Lithuanian form Mykolas Römeris (1880 in Bagdoniškis-1945 in Vilnius) Lithuanian lawyer, scientist and politician.

He was one of szlachta members loyal to the heritage of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, referred to as Krajowcy. He was one of a group that deliberately chose Lithuanian citizenship, although he continued to speak Polish. Römer was born in a Polish family of German (Livonian) origin, which was Polonised for several centuries. He gave the first lecture on Lithuania in Paris in 1905, together with another Polish-Lithuanian activist, Tadeusz Iwanowski.

Römer was a member of Piłsudski's Polish legions, but in 1920 he declined the proposal to take part in the government of Central Lithuania, and deliberately moved to Kaunas. Living in independent Lithuania he still used to write his diary in Polish.

He was a notable figure in interwar period, was a member of Lithuanian superior tribunal (1921-1928), a professor of Lithuanian (later Vytautas Magnus University) and Vilnius universities and the rector of University of Lithuania for three terms (1927-1928, 1933-36 and 1936-1939). As an international lawyer, he represented Lithuania in 1932 Hague Tribunal, when Klaipėda question arose.

He wrote important works on Lithuanian history and also on law, and is considered to be one of the most prominent Lithuanian lawyers, the progenitor, first lector and most prominent author of Lithuanian Constitutional Law. At the time the books on law he has written Lithuanian he himself signed as Mykolas Römeris (sometimes credited as Mykolas Rėmeris or Mykolas Riomeris).

The Law University of Lithuania in Vilnius was renamed to the Mykolas Romeris University in 2004.

[edit] References

(Polish) Solak, Zbigniew (2004). "Między Polską a Litwą. Życie i działalność Michała Römera". Kraków: Arcana. ISBN 83-89243-86-5.
(Polish) Short evaluation of Vilnius period and Belarus connections, by Zbigniew Solak
(English) Short academical bio