Ólafur Jóhannesson

Ólafur Jóhannesson (1 March 1913 – 20 May 1984) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Iceland for the Progressive Party on two occasions. He was a member of the Progressive Party, serving as party chairman during the 1970s.

For the football manager, see Ólafur Jóhannesson (coach). For the regisseur, see Olaf de Fleur.

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Ólafur.

Ólafur Jóhannesson
15th Prime Minister of Iceland
In office 1 September 1978 – 15 October 1979
President	Kristján Eldjárn
Preceded by	Geir Hallgrímsson
Succeeded by	Benedikt Gröndal
In office 14 July 1971 – 28 August 1974
President	Kristján Eldjárn
Preceded by	Jóhann Hafstein
Succeeded by	Geir Hallgrímsson
Personal details
Born	(1913-03-01)1 March 1913 Skagafjörður, Iceland
Died	20 May 1984(1984-05-20) (aged 71)
Political party	Progressive Party
Alma mater	University of Iceland

Career

Ólafur was educated at Akureyri Junior College (matriculated 1935), and studied law at the University of Iceland (graduated 1939, Hdl. 1942).[1] Following postgraduate studies in Denmark and Sweden, he worked as a lawyer and accountant, before returning to academia, becoming a lecturer and serving as a professor of law at the University of Iceland 1947–78.

He served as Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and Minister Ecclesiastical Affairs 1971–74 and 1978–79; Minister for Justice, Minister Ecclesiastical Affairs and Trade Secretary 1974–78; and Foreign Minister 1980–83.[1] As Minister for Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs, he recognised Ásatrúarfélagið as a religious organisation in May 1973. During his tenure, Ólafur headed the government that defied Great Britain during the Cod War.[2]

Family

In 1941, Ólafur married Dóra Guðbjartsdóttir (1915−2004). They had three children.[3]

References

1. Halfdanarson, Gudmundur (23 October 2008). Historical Dictionary of Iceland. Scarecrow Press. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-8108-6274-6. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
2. Jessup, John E (1998). An encyclopedic dictionary of conflict and conflict resolution, 1945-1996. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 363. ISBN 978-0-313-28112-9. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
3. http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3609462

Party political offices
Preceded by Eysteinn Jónsson	Leader of the Progressive Party 1968–1979	Succeeded by Steingrímur Hermannsson
Political offices
Preceded by Jóhann Hafstein	Prime Minister of Iceland 1971–1974	Succeeded by Geir Hallgrímsson
Preceded by Geir Hallgrímsson	Prime Minister of Iceland 1978–1979	Succeeded by Benedikt Gröndal