Þórhallur Bjarnarson (2 December 1855 15 December 1916) was an Icelandic prelate and politician who served as a member of parliament between 1894 and 1899 and from 1902 to 1908. He was also the sixth

Bishop of Iceland The following is a list of Lutheran bishops of Iceland. List See also * List of Skálholt bishops *List of Hólar bishops A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations ...

from 1908 until 1916.

Biography

Bjarnarson was born in Laufás near

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

, the son of the Reverend Björns Halldórsson and his wife Sigríður Einarsdóttir. He graduated from the School of Applied Sciences in 1877 and graduated with theology from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

in 1883. He was ordained a priest on 18 March 1884 and was appointed pastor at Reykholt. That same year he was also appointed Dean of the Borgarfjarðar Deanery. On 19 March 1885 he was appointed pastor of

Akureyri Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner. Nicknamed ...

; however, on 28 August he became a lecturer at the Prestaskólar (Seminary) and later its director in 1894. He was also the Member of Parliament for

Borgarfjörður Borgarfjörður () is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. Although the waters of Borgarfjörður appear calm, the fjord has significant undercurrents and shallows. The many flat islands lying in the fjord are for the most ...

from 1894 to 1900 and from 1902 to 1908, first as an independent and then as a member of the Home Rule Party. He served as President of the Lower House between 1897 and 1899. He was also a member of the City Council of Reykjavik between 1888 and 1906. On 19 September 1908 he was appointed

to succeed the retiring Hallgrímur Sveinsson. He was consecrated by Sveinsson on 4 October 1908. He served as bishop until his death.

Family

Þórhallur lived longest in Laufás near Laufásvegur in Reykjavik. His wife was Valgerður Jónsdóttir (27 January 1863 23 January 1913). They had four children, including

Tryggvi Þórhallsson Tryggvi Þórhallsson (9 February 1889 – 31 July 1935) was prime minister of Iceland from 28 August 1927 to 3 June 1932. He served as speaker of the Althing in 1933. He was a member of the Progressive Party. He was the Minister of Finance of ...

who became

Prime Minister of Iceland The prime minister of Iceland ( is, Forsætisráðherra Íslands) is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the president and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary suppor ...

in 1927. His other three children were Svava, Björn and Dóra who married

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (; 13 May 1894 – 15 September 1972) was the second president of Iceland, from 1952 to 1968. He was a Freemason and served as Grand Master of the Icelandic Order of Freemasons. Early life and education Educated as a the ...

and who became

President of Iceland The president of Iceland ( is, Forseti Íslands) is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, who is now in his second term as president, elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as ...

in 1952."Þórhallur Bjarnarson"
, ''

Althingi The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...

''. Retrieved on 22 July 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjarnarson, Thorhallur 1855 births 1916 deaths Thórhallur Bjarnarson 19th-century Icelandic Lutheran clergy 20th-century Icelandic Lutheran bishops