Ásgeir Ásgeirsson

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (May 13, 1894 – September 15, 1972) was the second president of Iceland between 1952 and 1968.

Biography

He was the son of the merchant Ásgeir Eyþórsson and Jensína Björg Mathíasdóttir. He married Dóra Þórhallsdóttir, daughter of Bishop Þórhal Bjarnason.

He completed his secondary studies in Iceland and later carried out religious studies in Copenhagen. He eventually graduated from the University of Iceland in 1915.

Considered too young to be ordained a minister of the Lutheran church, he went on to work as secretary to Bishop Þórhall Bjarnason. Later, at the age of 29, he was elected as a member of Alþingi for the Vestur-Ísafjarðarsýsla electoral constituency representing the Progressive Party.

In 1930, and already being president of his country's parliament, he led the celebrations to commemorate the thousand years of said organization. Later, from 1931 to 1934, he was Minister of Economy and, from 1932 to 1934, Prime Minister. In that year he left the Progressive Party but stood in future elections as an independent, remaining in Alþingi until 1952.

From 1938 to 1952 he was director of the financial institution Útvegsbanka Íslands, a position he left to become the nation's first president elected by universal suffrage. He remained in this position until 1968.