Benedikt Sigurðsson Gröndal (7 July 1924 – 20 July 2010) was Prime Minister of Iceland for the Social Democratic Party (Alþýðuflokkurinn) from 15 October 1979 to 8 February 1980. Prior to that he was Minister of Foreign Affairs 1978–1980. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs during his tenure as PM, therefore the only politician from the independence 1944 to serve in both cabinet positions at the same time.[1]
Benedikt Gröndal | |
|---|---|
| 21st Prime Minister of Iceland | |
| In office 15 October 1979 – 8 February 1980 | |
| President | Kristján Eldjárn |
| Preceded by | Ólafur Jóhannesson |
| Succeeded by | Gunnar Thoroddsen |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1 September 1978 – 8 February 1980 | |
| Prime Minister | Ólafur Jóhannesson Himself |
| Preceded by | Einar Ágústsson |
| Succeeded by | Ólafur Jóhannesson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 July 1924 Önundarfjörður, Kingdom of Iceland |
| Died | 20 July 2010 (aged 86) Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Harvard University University of Oxford |
His government was the second Social Democrat minority government of Iceland, formed after the collapse of Ólafur Jóhannesson's cabinet, with Gröndal's cabinet only being formed as a temporary solution until the 1979 parliamentary election. His cabinet was defeated in the election and his party was not asked to form the next cabinet. Gröndal was a member of Althingi from 1956 to 1982 and led his party from 1974 to 1980. He attended the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1966.[2]
After leaving the political scene in 1982, Gröndal was appointed ambassador of Iceland to Sweden and Finland. After residing for some years in Stockholm, he served as roving ambassador to the Far East, including Australia, China, South Korea and Japan. After serving two years as representative to the United Nations, Benedikt Gröndal retired to his native home in 1991[3]. He died on 20 July 2010 at the age of 86.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Ríkisstjórnartal". www.stjornarradid.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Alþingiskosningar 1979", Wikipedia, frjálsa alfræðiritið (in Icelandic), 2 October 2021, retrieved 15 August 2024
- ^ "Benedikt Gröndal". Alþingi (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Benedikt Gröndal látinn". RÚV. 20 July 2010.
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