Biography
Michael X. Mockus, A Lithuanian-born immigrant to the U.S., Mockus became known for outspoken freethought and anti-clerical lecturing among Lithuanian-American communities, including appearances organized through groups such as the Lithuanian Freethought Association and ties to the Free Speech League. His public speeches brought him into repeated conflict with authorities and local communities, culminating in prosecutions under blasphemy statutes—most notably a conviction in Waterbury and a later case in Rumford. After the Maine conviction was upheld by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, Mockus left the country and lived in Mexico for several years rather than submit to imprisonment, before later returning to the United States.