Ona Mašiotienė

Ona Mašiotienė née Brazauskaitė was a Lithuanian teacher and principal, women's rights activist and writer. She helped found the Lithuanian Women's Association, the first women's rights organization in the country, and lectured on the need for equality of men and women. Pressing for both women's rights and Lithuania's independence, she served as a member of different societies and a delegate to several political conferences and assemblies. As a teacher, she organized the first Lithuanian-language girls' gymnasium in Vilnius and was the principal of a secondary school in Kaunas for over a decade. In 1921, she was elected to serve on the Utena regional council for two terms. She was one of the co-founders and the first president of the umbrella Lithuanian Women's Council. Recognized by the independent Lithuanian government with national awards, she was dismissed from her teaching post after the Soviets reestablished authority over the country.