Ásgeir Ásgeirsson is remembered in public life for work that changed what came after it.
The record lists Ásgeir Ásgeirsson as Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (1894-1972) Governor of Surtsey (1963-1968).
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson was born at Governorate of Iceland in 1894. His recorded nationality is Iceland. He was educated at University of Copenhagen and University of Iceland.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, mass movements, total war and the collapse of empires reshaped what a political career could be.
The record of office reads: President of Iceland (1952–1968), Prime Minister of Iceland (1932–1934) and Minister of Finance of Iceland (1931–1933).
His political affiliation is recorded as Progressive Party and Social Democratic Party.
The test of a public life is what remained possible afterwards that had not been possible before.
Formal honours included the Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon, Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1955), Order of the Elephant and Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (1954).
That the career was made in Iceland is not incidental: the institutions available, the franchise, and the constraints of the moment all shaped what could be attempted.
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson died in 1972, aged 78. The assessment continues, as it does for anyone who held power - which is the ordinary fate of a political life.
Achievements
- President of Iceland (1952–1968)
- Prime Minister of Iceland (1932–1934)
- Minister of Finance of Iceland (1931–1933)
- Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon
- Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 1955
- Order of the Elephant
- Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland — 1954
- Educated at University of Copenhagen and University of Iceland
