Editing Sveinn Björnsson

{{Short description|Icelandic politician (1881–1952)}}
{{icelandic name|Sveinn|male}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[His Excellency]]
| name                = Sveinn Björnsson
| caption             = Sveinn Björnsson
| nationality         = Icelandic
| image               = Sveinn Björnsson.jpg
| order               = 1st
| office              = President of Iceland
| primeminister       = {{ubl|[[Björn Þórðarson]] |[[Ólafur Thors]] |[[Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson]] |[[Steingrímur Steinþórsson]]}}
| term_start          = 17 June 1944
| term_end            = 25 January 1952
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1881|2|27|df=y}} <br> [[Copenhagen]], Denmark
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1952|1|25|1881|2|27|df=y}} <br> [[Reykjavík]], Iceland
| spouse              = [[Georgia Björnsson]]
| children            = 6, including his eldest son [[Björn Sveinsson Björnsson]]
| successor           = [[Ásgeir Ásgeirsson]]
| alma_mater          = [[University of Copenhagen]]
| profession          = Lawyer
| office2             = Regent of Iceland
| term_start2         = 15 May 1941
| term_end2           = 17 June 1944
| monarch2            = [[Christian X of Denmark|Christian X]]
| otherparty          = [[Independence Party (Iceland, historical)|Independence Party]] (1912–1915)<br/>[[Home Rule Party (Iceland)|Home Rule Party]] (affiliated non-member, 1918–1920)
}}
'''Sveinn Björnsson''' ({{IPA|is|ˈsveitn̥ ˈpjœsːɔn|lang}}; 27 February 1881 – 25 January 1952) was the first [[president of Iceland]], serving from 1944 to 1952.

==Background, education and legal career==
Sveinn was born in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark, as the son of [[Björn Jónsson]] (editor and later minister) and Elísabet Sveinsdóttir. Sveinn graduated from the [[Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík|Latin School in Reykjavík]] in 1900 and obtained a law degree from the [[University of Copenhagen]] 1907. He was licensed to practice before the "upper courts" in 1907 and before the Superior Court in 1920, and served as public prosecutor in Reykjavík 1907–1920 and 1924–1926. From 29 September 1919 to 31 December the same year, he served as prosecutor at the National Upper Court.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.althingi.is/altext/cv/is/?nfaerslunr=566|title=Sveinn Björnsson|website=Alþingi}}</ref>

He was a freemason, and one of the founders of Edda Freemasonic Lodge in Reykjavik.<ref>Denslow, William R. (1957). "10,000 Famous Freemasons". Columbia, Missouri, USA: Missouri Lodge of Research. (digital document by phoenixmasonry: vol. 1, 2, 3, 4)</ref> He served as Grandmaster of the [[Icelandic Order of Freemasons]].<ref name=Herdis>{{cite book
 | last1 = Baldvinsdóttir | first1 = Herdís
 | title = Networks of Financial Power in Iceland: The Labour Movement Paradox
 | location = Iceland
 | pages = 62, 64–67
 | date = 2017
 | isbn = 9781549768071}}</ref>{{self-published inline|certain=y|date=August 2023}}

== Political and diplomatic career ==
Sveinn was a member of the [[Reykjavík City Council]] 1912–1920 and its chairman 1918–1920. He was elected to the Althing for [[Reykjavík (Althing constituency)|Reykjavík]] 1914–15 and 1919–20.<ref name="auto"/> After Iceland's independence from Denmark in 1918 he acted as minister to Denmark during 1920–1924 and 1926–1940.

== Regent and President ==
[[File:Standard of the Regent of Iceland (1941–1944).svg|thumb|left|210px|Standard as Regent of Iceland]]

Although Iceland had become a sovereign state in 1918, its foreign affairs had been conducted by Denmark until the beginning of the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The German [[occupation of Denmark]] in April 1940, however, resulted the [[Kingdom of Iceland|Icelandic king]], [[Christian X of Denmark|Christian X]], who resided in Denmark, being unable to perform his constitutional functions for Iceland and Sveinn was elected [[Regent]] of Iceland three times between 1941 and 1943, assuming all the prerogatives in Icelandic affairs held by the King. In July 1941, [[United States]] [[United States Armed Forces|troops]] [[Occupation of Iceland|occupied]] Iceland on the invitation of Sveinn's government and remained, in reduced numbers, after the war; their continued presence provoked the main controversy of the nation's postwar foreign policy.

Sveinn was elected president by the Althing on the inauguration of the [[republic of Iceland]] in 1944. His first term was only one year, since the people of Iceland were to elect their president directly for the first time in 1945. Shortly after the creation of the republic, Sveinn called on Icelandic embassies to send him all books on diplomatic protocol that they could find, so that he could follow the right customs as head of state.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=76}}</ref> Foreign diplomats often remarked on how strict Sveinn was in following diplomatic protocol in his interactions with them, perhaps too strict.<ref name=":0" />

Sveinn was re-elected as president in 1945 and 1949 without opposition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.althingi.is/altext/cv/is/?nfaerslunr=566|title=Sveinn Björnsson|website=Alþingi|language=is|access-date=2020-01-04}}</ref> He set new precedent and went outside of the formal powers given to the president after the 1949 parliamentary elections when he said that he would form a government if the parties could not agree on forming in four months' time.<ref name=":1" /> He claimed to have these powers according to the [[Constitution of Iceland|constitution]], but historian (and later president) [[Guðni Th. Jóhannesson]] rejected that these powers are set in the constitution.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=84}}</ref>

Sveinn had poor relations with the Danish King, Christian X, after Iceland became a republic. The King maintained that the Icelanders had given him false assurances in 1940 that the relationship between Iceland and Denmark would return to normal after the Nazi occupation had ended; something that Sveinn denied.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=73}}</ref> For this reason, Sveinn did not go on an official visit to Denmark following the creation of the republic. Christian X died in 1947. But, due to poor health, Sveinn was unable to visit Denmark during the final part of his tenure as president.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=194}}</ref>

The nation formally became a member of [[NATO]] on 30 March 1949, amid [[1949 anti-NATO riot in Iceland|domestic controversy and riots]]. On 5 May 1951, a defence agreement was signed with the United States. American troops returned to Iceland as the [[Iceland Defence Force]], and remained throughout the [[Cold War]]. The US withdrew the last of its forces on 30 September 2006. Sveinn died in [[Reykjavík]] in January 1952, more than one year before his third term of office was due to expire. He is the only president of Iceland, as of 2024, to die in office. Sveinn had been in poor health since 1949.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=83}}</ref>

== Business activities ==
Sveinn was one of the founders of [[Eimskipafélag Íslands]], the main shipping company in Iceland, in 1914 and its chairman 1914–1920 and 1924–1926. He was the founder of the insurance company [[Brunabótafélag Íslands]] (Icelandic Fire Insurance Company) and its director from its foundation in 1916 until 1920. He was also one of the founders of the insurance company [[Sjóvátryggingafélag Íslands]] (Icelandic Maritime Insurance Company) in 1918 and its chairman in 1918–1920 and 1924–1926. Sveinn was one of the founders of the Icelandic [[Red Cross]] on 10 December 1924 and its first chairman, serving until 1926.

== Family ==
[[File:Björn Sveinsson Björnsson.jpg|thumb|252x252px|[[Björn Sveinsson Björnsson]], Sveinn's eldest son, survived the war and died in 1998.]]
On 2 September 1908 he married Georgia Björnsson, born Hansen (born 18 January 1884, died 18 September 1957). They had six children: Björn (1909), Anna Catherine Aagot (1911), Henrik (1914), Sveinn Christen (1916), Ólafur (1919), Elísabet (1922). His eldest son [[Björn Sveinnson Björnsson|Björn Sveinsson Björnsson]] served in the Nazi German military as a part of the [[Waffen-SS]] in World War II.<ref>[http://servefir.ruv.is/her/herruv3.htm Útsendingar Þjóðverja] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20180201172553/http://servefir.ruv.is/her/herruv3.htm |date=1 February 2018 }} (in Icelandic)</ref>

His granddaughter, Brynhildur Georgía Björnsson, is the subject of the historical novel {{lang|is|[[Konan við 1000°]]}} (''The Woman at 1000°''), written by [[Hallgrímur Helgason]] and published in 2011. The novel makes extensive reference to Sveinn and other members of the family. His great-grandson is Henrik Björnsson, singer and lead guitarist in the shoegaze rock band [[Singapore Sling (band)|Singapore Sling]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fontaine|first1=Paul|title=Our Local Regent|url=https://issuu.com/rvkgrapevine/docs/reykjavik_grapevine_issue_08_lowres|accessdate=9 December 2017|work=[[Reykjavík Grapevine]]|issue=8|date=16 June 2016|page=20|language=Icelandic}}</ref> His great-granddaughter is [[Georgía Olga Kristiansen]], the first female referee to officiate in the highest competitive tier men's basketball league in Iceland.<ref>{{cite news|title=Langömmubarn fyrstu forsetafrúar Íslands endurskrifaði íslenska körfuboltasögu í gær|url=http://www.visir.is/g/2017171019519/langommubarn-fyrstu-forsetafruar-islands-endurskrifadi-islenska-korfuboltasogu-i-gaer|accessdate=8 December 2017|work=[[Vísir.is]]|date=13 October 2017|author=Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

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{{succession box | before=[[Christian X of Denmark|Kristján X]]<br>as [[List of rulers of Iceland|King of Iceland]] | title=[[President of Iceland]] | years=1944–1952 | after=[[Ásgeir Ásgeirsson]]}}
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{{Presidents of Iceland}}

{{Authority control}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjornsson, Sveinn}}
[[Category:1881 births]]
[[Category:1952 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Icelandic people|Sveinn Bjornsson]]
[[Category:20th-century regents]]
[[Category:Politicians from Copenhagen]]
[[Category:Presidents of Iceland|Sveinn Bjornsson]]
[[Category:Members of the Althing|Sveinn Bjornsson]]
[[Category:Icelandic Freemasons|Sveinn Bjornsson]]
[[Category:Iceland in World War II]]
[[Category:University of Copenhagen alumni]]
[[Category:World War II political leaders]]
[[Category:20th-century presidents in Europe]]