Ólafur Jóhannesson (1 March 1913 – 20 May 1984) was twice the

Prime Minister of Iceland The prime minister of Iceland () is head of government of the Republic of Iceland. The prime minister is appointed formally by the president of Iceland, president and exercises executive authority along with the Cabinet of Iceland, cabinet subje ...

for the Progressive Party (1971–1974 and 1978–1979). He was a member of the Progressive Party, serving as party chairman from 1968 to 1979.

Career

Ólafur was educated at Akureyri Junior College (matriculated 1935), and studied law at the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

(graduated 1939, Hdl. 1942). Following postgraduate studies in

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and

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, he worked as a lawyer and accountant, before returning to academia, becoming a lecturer and serving as a professor of law at the

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. As Minister for Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs, he recognised

Ásatrúarfélagið (, ''Ásatrú Fellowship''), also known simply as , is an Icelandic religious organisation of Heathenry (new religious movement), heathenry (in Iceland also called , " faith"). It was founded on the first day of summer (Iceland), first day of s ...

as a religious organisation in May 1973. During his tenure, Ólafur headed the government that defied the

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during the Cod War. Ólafur became the Progressive Party leader in 1968 and formed a cabinet with him as a prime minister following the 1971 election. After the 1974 election, Geir Hallgrímsson, the chairman of the Independence Party, formed a new cabinet with the Progressive Party where Geir was prime minister. After the 1978 election, Ólafur became prime minister again and formed a new left-wing cabinet. In October 1979 Ólafur decided to dissolve the coalition because of economic disagreements, including because of high inflation and high gas prices. Ólafur left as party leader later that year but served as an MP until his death in 1984. He served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 1980 to 1983 in

Gunnar Thoroddsen Gunnar Thoroddsen (pronounced ) (29 December 1910 – 25 September 1983) was the prime minister of Iceland from 1980 to 1983. Gunnar was the youngest man ever elected to the Althing, Iceland's Parliament. He was 23 years old when he was ele ...

's cabinet.

Family

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

References

, - , - 1913 births 1984 deaths Olafur Johannesson Olafur Johannesson {{Iceland-politician-stub