Páll Melsteð (31 March 1791 – 9 May 1861) was an Icelandic official and politician. He graduated from Bessastaðir School in 1809 and from Copenhagen University with a degree in law in 1815. From 1815 to 1849 he served as a

sýslumaður (; plural: ; non, sýslumaðr , no, sysselmann, da, sysselmænd) is a governmental office or title used in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. The position originated in Norway in the Middle Ages, where it was used as a noble title, and ...

in various ''sýslur''. In 1849 he became the '' amtmann'' of the Western Amt, an office he retained until his death. He was a member of the

Althing 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 ...

by royal appointment from 1847 until his death. He was also appointed by the king to the

National Assembly of 1851 The National Assembly of 1851 (Icelandic language, Icelandic ''Þjóðfundurinn 1851'') was a Constitutional convention (political meeting), constitutional convention called to decide the political status of Iceland. The assembly was called in 18 ...

. He was the father of

Páll Melsteð Páll Melsteð may refer to: * Páll Melsteð (amtmann) (1791–1861), Icelandic official and politician *Páll Melsteð (historian) Páll Melsteð (13 November 1812 - 9 February 1910) was an Icelandic historian, official, editor and member of th ...

the historian.

References

''Páll Melsteð''
Website of the Althing. 2001. Pall Melsted Pall Melsted 1791 births 1861 deaths {{Iceland-politician-stub