Bjarni Benediktsson (politician, 1908)

Bjarni Benediktsson, Levi Eshkol 1964

Bjarni Benediktsson (born April 30, 1908 in Reykjavík , † July 10, 1970 in Þingvellir ) was an Icelandic politician of the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkur) and Prime Minister of Iceland .

Life

Studies, university professor and promotion to ministerial level

Bjarni Benediktsson, whose father Benedikt Sveinsson (1877-1954) was one of the leaders of the Icelandic independence movement and himself a member of the Althing from 1908 to 1931, acquired his university entrance qualification (Stúdentspróf) at Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík , the oldest grammar school in Iceland. He then began studying constitutional law at the University of Iceland and from 1930 to 1932 in Berlin . On his return, at the age of just 24, he was appointed Professor of Law at the University of Iceland in 1932.

His political career began in 1934 when he was elected to the Reykjavík City Council as a member of the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkur) . On October 8, 1940, he was elected mayor of Reykjavík to succeed Pétur Halldórsson . He held this office until his appointment as Foreign Minister (Utanríkisráðherra) and Minister of Justice (Dómsmálaráðherra) in the cabinet of Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson on February 4, 1947. He also held these offices in the subsequent coalition governments from Ólafur Thors and Steingrímur Stein . September 1953. During his tenure, Iceland was a founding member of NATO in 1949 . However, he blocked a proposal put forward by the US House of Representatives : Iceland join the US as the 49th  state . On November 8, 1948 Bjarni was elected to succeed Pétur Magnússon as deputy chairman of the Independence Party. He was also Minister of Education in Thor's third cabinet from December 1949 to March 1950.

In Thor's fourth cabinet, he then held the office of Minister of Justice and Education (Dómsmá- og Menntamálaráðherra) from September 11, 1953 to July 24, 1956. When Hermann Jónasson of the Progressive Party then formed a left-wing coalition government, he initially withdrew from politics in order to become editor of the leading conservative daily Morgunblaðið in 1956 . When Thors formed his 5th cabinet on November 20, 1959, Bjarni Benediktsson returned to the government as Minister of Justice and Church (Dóms- og Kirkjuráðherra) and Minister of Health and Industry (Heilbrigðis- og Iðnaðarmálaráðherra). In addition, he was temporarily from September 14 to December 31, 1961 Prime Minister due to illnesses of the incumbent Thors. In addition, he was elected on October 22, 1961 to succeed Thors as chairman of the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkur).

Prime Minister and Death

On November 14, 1963 Bjarni finally succeeded Thors as Prime Minister of Iceland . In the parliamentary elections of 1967, his coalition government consisting of the Independence Party and the Social Democratic Party of Iceland was able to maintain its parliamentary majority of 32 of 60 Althing mandates. As Prime Minister he paid a three-day state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany in September 1967. He held this office until his death in a fire in the government's summer residence in Þingvellir , in which his wife and a two-year-old grandson were also killed on July 10, 1970. His successor as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Independence Party was then the previous Deputy Party Chairman and Minister for Justice, Churches and Industry, Jóhann Hafstein .

His eldest son Björn Bjarnason is also a politician and was a long-time minister. His daughter Valgerður Bjarnadóttir was a member of the Althing from 2009 to 2016 and was married to the former minister Vilmundur Gylfason until his death .

Honors

• December 1, 1953: Order of the Falcons
• February 28, 1955: Grand Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany

literature

• Bjarni Benediktsson , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 50/1970 from November 30, 1970, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Web links

• Bjarni Benediktsson - Homepage
• Althing homepage
• Biographical information in rulers.org

Individual evidence

1. ^ Stefánsson's cabinet
2. ↑ 3. Thor's cabinet
3. ↑ Steinþórsson's cabinet
4. ↑ Norbert Wiggershaus, Winfried Heinemann: National foreign and alliance policy of the NATO member states , 2000, ISBN 3-486-56489-7 , p. 52
5. ↑ ^{a b} DIED . In: Der Spiegel . No. 29 , 1970, pp. 134 ( online - obituary).
6. ↑ 4. Thor's cabinet
7. ↑ 5. Thor's cabinet
8. ^ Cabinet Benediktsson
9. ^ Wolfgang Ismayr: The political systems of West Europe , 2009, p. 202, ISBN 3-531-16464-3
10. ↑ CHRONICLE September 12, 1967

predecessor	Office	successor
Pétur Halldórsson	Mayor of Reykjavík 1940–1947	Gunnar Thoroddsen

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .