Steingrímur Hermannsson
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Steingrímur Hermannsson | |
---|---|
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 8 July 1987 – 28 September 1988 | |
Prime Minister | Þorsteinn Pálsson |
Preceded by | Matthías Árni Mathiesen |
Succeeded by | Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson |
Minister of Fisheries | |
In office 8 February 1980 – 26 May 1983 | |
Prime Minister | Gunnar Thoroddsen |
Preceded by | Kjartan Jóhannsson |
Succeeded by | Halldór Ásgrímsson |
Minister of Justice | |
In office 1 September 1978 – 15 October 1979 | |
Prime Minister | Ólafur Jóhannesson |
Preceded by | Ólafur Jóhannesson |
Succeeded by | Vilmundur Gylfason |
Personal details | |
Born | Reykjavík, Kingdom of Iceland | 22 June 1928
Died | 1 February 2010 Reykjavík, Iceland | (aged 81)
Political party | Progressive |
Children | 6 |
Alma mater | Illinois Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology |
Steingrímur Hermannsson (pronounced
Early childhood
Steingrímur's father was Hermann Jónasson, another former Prime Minister. Being the son of a prominent official, Steingrímur enjoyed a relatively care-free upbringing in a country stricken by the Great Depression. As a young boy he had an exceptional proximity to Iceland's World War II politics, overhearing state affairs being discussed in his father's living room.
Education
Not wanting to follow his father's footsteps into politics, Steingrímur went to the U.S. in 1948. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from
Politics
Steingrímur served as Prime Minister from 1983 to 1987 and again from 1988 to 1991. He also served for a time as
International affairs
Internationally, his greatest moment as Prime Minister came in 1986, when he hosted the
Steingrímur first kept a low profile in his retirement, rarely voicing his opinion of current affairs. He was however a founding member of Heimssýn, an organization opposed to Iceland's entry of the European Union, and became increasingly critical of the Progressive Party's policies. He gave public support to "The Iceland Movement", an ad hoc environmental movement which ran (unsuccessfully) in the 2007 Althing elections, appearing in campaign advertisements on TV. As a result of these activities, he mostly lost the informal status of the Progressive party's "Grand Old Man".
In his last years Steingrímur was a well liked and respected elder statesman, and was considered as a potential candidate for the 1996 presidential elections. But he quickly declined that honour, stating his intention to retire at the age of 70. His memoirs, published in three volumes in 1998–2000, became bestsellers.
Family
Steingrímur was twice married and had six children. His youngest son, Guðmundur Steingrímsson was active in Icelandic politics between 2007 and 2016. He first ran for the Althing in the 2007 elections, for the Social Democratic Alliance. In early 2009, however, he switched sides and joined his grandfather's and father's Progressive Party and got elected. Then switched again and got elected in 2013 for Bright Future.
His eldest children, John, Ellen, and Neil Hermannsson reside in the United States with their own children, all of whom have been to Iceland.
References
- ^ "Former Prime Minister of Iceland Passes Away". Iceland Review Online. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ "Caltech Commencement Program" (PDF). Caltech Campus Publications. 6 June 1952. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ https://www.sedlabanki.is/library/Skraarsafn/ymsar-skrar/Bankastjorn%20fra%20upphafi.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/w5_show?p_r=4097&p_d=62813&p_k=1 [bare URL PDF]