Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson | |
|---|---|
Guðni in 2022 | |
| 6th President of Iceland | |
| In office 1 August 2016 – 1 August 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson Bjarni Benediktsson Katrín Jakobsdóttir Bjarni Benediktsson |
| Preceded by | Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson |
| Succeeded by | Halla Tómasdóttir |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson 26 June 1968 |
| Party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) |
Elín Haraldsdóttir
(m. 1995; div. 1996) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Warwick (BA) University of Iceland (MA) St Antony's College, Oxford (MSt) Queen Mary, University of London (PhD) |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | Troubled Waters. Cod War, Fishing Disputes, and Britain's Fight for the Freedom of the High Seas, 1948-1964 (2004) |
Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkvʏðnɪ ˈtʰɔrlaˌsiʏs ˈjouːhanɛsɔn]; born 26 June 1968) is an Icelandic historian and politician who served as the sixth president of Iceland from 2016 to 2024.
A career historian, Guðni was a professor at the University of Iceland before running for president in 2016. His field of research is modern Icelandic history, and he has published works on the Cod Wars, the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis and the Icelandic presidency, among other topics. He also worked as a translator. From 2011 to 2015, Guðni was president of the Icelandic historical society, Sögufélag.
In May of 2016, Guðni launched a bid to become President of Iceland. Running as an independent, he won that year's presidential election with a plurality of the vote, becoming the youngest person ever to be Iceland's president. His term was met with consistently high approval ratings, at levels unprecedented for any Icelandic president. In 2020, he won re-election with an overwhelming majority. Guðni decided not to run for re-election again, and left office in 2024, after completing his second term.