Martynas Kukta

Martynas Kukta (1 February 1875 – 23 June 1956) was a Lithuanian publisher.

Born to a family of Lithuanian peasants, Kukta received only primary education. He worked as a typesetter for several Tsarist printing presses. In 1904, after the Lithuanian press ban was lifted, he returned to Vilnius where he headed the printing press of the daily Vilniaus žinios in 1904–1906. He then established his own printing press which published books and periodicals in Lithuanian, Polish, Belarusian, and Russia. During World War I, he printed Lietuvos aidas, the official newspaper of the Council of Lithuania. In 1918, he co-founded Švyturys printing press but it became bankrupt in 1928. Kukta retired from printing in 1934 and died in 1956.

Biography Early life Martynas Kukta was born on 1 February 1875 in near Kurkliai to a well off family of Lithuanian farmers. He had seven siblings, including the elder brother Juozapas Kukta who became bishop of Kaišiadorys.