Bjarni Benediktsson
Bjarni Benediktsson ( born April 30, 1908 in Reykjavík, † 10 July 1970 Þingvellir ) was an Icelandic politician of the Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ) and Prime Minister of Iceland.
Life
Study, high school teachers and climb to the Minister
Bjarni Benediktsson, whose father Benedikt Sveinsson (1877-1954) was a leader of the Icelandic independence movement and even member of the Althing 1908-1931, earned his university entrance qualification ( Stúdentspróf ) on Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, Iceland 's oldest high school. Subsequently, he began a study of constitutional law at the University of Iceland and from 1930 to 1932 in Berlin. After his return he was appointed at the age of just 24 years in 1932 as professor of law at the University of Iceland.
His political career began in 1934 when he was elected as a member of the Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ) as a member of the City Council of Reykjavík. On 8 October 1947, he was elected as the successor of Pétur Halldórsson mayor of Reykjavík. This office he held until his appointment as Secretary of State ( Utanríkisráðherra ) and Justice Minister ( Dómsmálaráðherra ) in the cabinet of Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson on 4 February 1947. These offices he held in the subsequent coalition governments Ólafur Thors and Steingrímur Steinthorsson to 11 September 1953. During his tenure, Iceland was in 1949 of the founding members of NATO. However, he blocked a proposal, which was submitted by the U.S. House of Representatives: Iceland the United States to annex the 49th state. On November 8, 1948 Benediktsson was elected to succeed Pétur Magnússon as the Deputy Chairman of the Independence Party. In the third Cabinet Thor he was Education Minister from December 1949 to March 1950.
In the fourth Cabinet Thor he then held on 11 September 1953 to 24 July 1956, the Office of Justice and Minister of Education ( Dómsmá -og Menntamálaráðherra ). As subsequently formed a leftist coalition government Hermann Jónasson of the Progress Party, he retired from politics first back to be around 1956 editor of the leading conservative newspaper Morgunblaðið. As Thor on November 20, 1959 made his fifth cabinet, Bjarni Benediktsson returned as Minister of Justice and Church (DOMS -og Kirkjuráðherra ) as well as a health and Industry Minister ( Heilbrigðis -og Iðnaðarmálaráðherra ) back into government. In addition, he was occasionally also from September 14 until December 31, 1961 Office of the Prime Minister because of illness of the incumbent Thor. In addition, he was elected on 22 October 1961 as the successor of Thor as Chairman of the Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ).
Prime Minister and death
On November 14, 1963 Benediktsson was finally successors of Thor as Prime Minister of Iceland. In the parliamentary elections of 1967 his coalition government of the Independence Party and the Social Democratic Party of Iceland maintained its parliamentary majority of 32 out of 60 Althing mandates. As prime minister, he visited the Federal Republic of Germany in September 1967 from a three-day state visit. This office he held until his death from a fire in the summer residence of the government in Þingvellir, where next to him on July 10, 1970 killed his wife and a two year old grandson. Successor as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Independence Party then was the former deputy party leader and Minister for Justice, churches and industrial Jóhann Hafstein.
His eldest son Björn Bjarnason is also politician and was for many years minister. His daughter Valgerdur Bjarnadóttir is the Althing since 2009 Member of Parliament and was married to his death with the former Minister Vilmundur Gylfason.