Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson (October 17, 1905 – September 16, 1984) was an Icelandic businessman and political figure in the mid-twentieth century.


Early and family life

Hallgrímur's parents were Friðrik Hallgrímsson, a priest at Grund and later dean in Reykjavík, and Bentína Hansína Björnsdóttir Hallgrímsson.Jón Guðnason and Pétur Haraldsson, ''Íslenzkir samtíðarmenn'', 3 vols (Reykjavík: Bókaútgáfan samtíðarmenn, 1965–1970) I 282 (s.v. Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson). Hallgrímur graduated from high school at
Baldur, Manitoba Baldur is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in the Rural Municipality of Argyle, Manitoba. Baldur is the largest community of the Argyle municipality, which is in southwestern Manitoba between Brandon and Porta ...
in 1924 and from 1925 lived in Reykjavík, moving there when his father became a priest at the cathedral in Reykjavík.Thor Bjorgolfsson and Andrew Cave, ''Billions to Bust—And Back: How I Made, Lost and Rebuilt a Fortune, and What I Learned on the Way'' (London: Profile, 2014), pp. 17–18. On November 17, 1928, he married Margrét Þorbjörg Thors, daughter of the business magnate
Thor Philip Axel Jensen Thor Philip Axel Jensen (3 December 1863 – 12 September 1947) was a Danish entrepreneur who moved to Iceland at an early age and became famous there for his business activities during the first half of the twentieth century: he all but intro ...
, by whom he had
Margrét Þóra Hallgrímsson Margrét Þóra Hallgrímsson (28 January 1930 – 27 August 2020), also referred as Thora Hallgrimsdottir, was an Icelandic socialite and aristocrat who was the wife of the businessman Björgólfur Guðmundsson and like him was a prominent figur ...
and Elína Benta.'Margrét Þorbjörg Thors', ''Morgunblaðið'', September 10, 1996, http://www.mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/286017/, http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1861595. Towards the end of his life, he suffered from dementia.


Business career

After moving to Reykjavík, Hallgrímur began working for Shell Oil. In 1925 Hallgrímur became the chairman of Shell in Iceland until 1956 and the director of Olíufélagið Skeljungs from the same year until 1971.'Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson fyrrv. forstjóri látinn', ''Morgunblaðið'', 19 September 1989, http://www.mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/37260/. He was on the board of the company Anglia from 1943 and its chairman in from 1948 to 1956. He was a member of ''Verslunarráð Íslands'' (now ''Viðskiptaráð Íslands'', the Iceland Chamber of Commerce) from 1955 to 1960 and on the board of ''Vinnuveitendasamband Íslands'' (the Confederation of Icelandic Employers) from 1952. After retirement, he continued to receive his final salary from Shell, and after his death the salary was paid to his widow.


Other activities and honours

Hallgrímur was Iceland's consul to Canada from 1957, and sat on the economic and party committees of the Icelandic Independence Party. He maintained close contact with the UK, and received the highest honour that the British government bestows on foreigners, Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
. He also received the Grand Cross of the Icelandic
Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...
and of the Norwegian
Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...
. He was the deputy chairman of Iceland's
Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
from 1932 to 1936 and its chair from 1945 to 1949; a member and later honorary member of the Reykjavík Golf Club from 1934 and its chairman from 1943 to 1949; and a member of the Rotary Club of Iceland from 1936, and its chair from 1940 to 1943.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallgrimsson, Hallgrimur Fr. People from Pembina Valley Region, Manitoba 1905 births Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson 1984 deaths Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson Hallgrímur Fr. Hallgrímsson