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Pseudonyms: Jonas Gaidys, J. Gaidys, Jonas G...ys, -j-g.
Jonas Gaidamavičius was one of the constitutors, editors and contributors to the newspaper "Varpas". He was born in a village of Kaniūkai, Alunta community, Utena district. He studied medicine at Warsaw University in 1883-1889. At the University he made acquaintances with Lithuanian students and organized their society in 1888. He became its first president. J.Gaidamavičius actively participated in establishing and editing of the newspaper "Varpas" (The Bell). He wrote an editorial "A New Newspaper" for the first issue of "Varpas" and later published there his literary works.
After graduation from the University, he lived at his wife's estate near Molėtai, then since autumn of 1890 at Petro-Aleksandrovskoje; in 1893 he moved to Turkestan. At that time he served as a medical officer and formed a center of Lithuanian settlers there. Eventually his family became Russianised. After being promoted to the rank of general and entitled to a pension, J.Gaidamavičius returned to Lithuania and died in Alunta in 1912.
