Gunnar Thoroddsen

Gunnar Thoroddsen ( born December 28, 1910 in Reykjavík, † September 27, 1983 in Reykjavík ) was an Icelandic politician of the Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ) and Prime Minister of Iceland.

Biography

Thoroddsen began his political career in 1934 when he became the youngest member of the Althing was just 23 years, which was ever elected. There he represented until his resignation on re-election at the general election in May 1983, the interests of the Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ). Between 1940 and 1943 he was also chairman of the National Youth Organization of the Independence Party ( Samband Ungra sjálfstæðismanna ). After studying law, he was 1940-1950 Professor at the University of Iceland.

February 4, 1947 to November 19, 1959, he was also mayor of Reykjavík and then 1959-1965 Finance ( FJÁRMÁLARÁÐUNEYTIÐ ) in the governments of Ólafur Thors and Bjarni Benediktsson. 1961 to 1965 he was Deputy Chairman of the Independence Party for the first time.

Between 1965 and 1969 he represented Iceland as Ambassador to Denmark. During this time he completed in 1968 his doctorate ( Ph.D. ) in Law with a dissertation on the topic to insult ( Fjölmæli ). As such Thoroddsen 1968 was the candidate of the independence election in the presidential election of 1968. However, he was defeated in the election to succeed his father as president of Iceland Ásgeir Ásgeirsson against the non-party candidates Kristján Eldjárn. Although surveys Thoroddsen saw previously with a vote share of 70 percent, Eldjárn ultimately won with 65.6 percent share of the vote a huge election victory with a voter turnout of 92.2 percent. In 1970 he was appointed first judge of the Supreme Court of Iceland ( Hæstiréttur ).

In the government of Geir Hallgrímsson he was then on 28 August 1974 to 27 June 1978 Minister of Industry and Social Welfare. Between November 1974 and November 1981, he was also once vice chairman of the Independence Party. When it between Hallgrímsson, who was also Chairman of the Independence Party, and came to his disagreement on the policy of the Independence Party for the lost election of 1978, left Thoroddsen 1980 with several other members of the group in the Parliament.

As the successor of the Social Democratic minority government of Benedict Sigurðsson Gröndal therefore he made on 8 February 1980 as prime minister of a coalition government with the agrarian -oriented Progressive Party ( Framsóknarflokkurinn ) and the Communist dominated Popular Alliance ( Alþýðubandalag ). With 69 years Thoroddsen was the oldest Prime Minister in the history of Iceland. For health reasons, he resigned in May 1983 to a renewed candidacy for the Althing and handed over the affairs of state on 26 May 1983 to the Chairman of the Progressive Party and former Minister of Fisheries and communication Steingrímur Hemm.

Source

• Biographical information in rulers.org