Guðni Th. Jóhannesson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
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Guðni in 2022
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| 6th President of Iceland | |
| In office 1 August 2016 – 1 August 2024 |
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| 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 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouses |
Elín Haraldsdóttir
(m. 1995; div. 1996)Eliza Jean Reid
(m. 2004) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Warwick (BA) University of Iceland (MA) St Antony's College, Oxford (MSt) Queen Mary, University of London (PhD) |
Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson (born 26 June 1968) is an Icelandic historian and politician. He was the sixth president of Iceland from 2016 to 2024.
Before becoming president, Guðni was a professor at the University of Iceland. He is an expert in modern Icelandic history. He has written books about important events like the Cod Wars and the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. He also wrote about the role of the Icelandic president.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Guðni's mother, Margrét Thorlacius, was a teacher and journalist. His father, Jóhannes Sæmundsson, was a sports instructor. Guðni has two brothers. One of them, Patrekur Jóhannesson, was a famous handball player for the Icelandic national team. Guðni also played handball when he was younger, both in Iceland and the UK.
Guðni finished junior college in Reykjavík in 1987. He was even on a team quiz show called Gettu betur during his school years. He went on to study history and political science at the University of Warwick in England. He also earned a master's degree in history from the University of Iceland. Guðni continued his studies, getting another degree from the University of Oxford and a PhD in history from Queen Mary, University of London.
In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oulu.
Guðni's Career Before Presidency
Guðni worked as a lecturer at several universities, including the University of Iceland. He was a senior lecturer in history when he decided to run for president. His main area of study was modern Icelandic history. He published many works on topics like the Cod Wars and Iceland's financial crisis. He also wrote biographies about former Icelandic leaders.
From 1992 to 1997, Guðni translated four books by the author Stephen King into Icelandic. He was also the president of Sögufélag, which is the Icelandic historical society, from 2011 to 2015.
Becoming President
Guðni decided to run for president on 5 May 2016. Before this, he often appeared on TV to explain historical events, especially after the Panama Papers scandal. This scandal caused problems for Iceland's prime minister at the time. Because Guðni was so good at explaining things, many people encouraged him to run for president.
One of his main ideas was to allow citizens to propose referendums (public votes) on new laws. Early polls showed he had a lot of support. When the president at the time, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, decided not to run again, Guðni's popularity grew even more. He was elected president on 25 June 2016, winning 39.1% of the votes.
Guðni was not part of any political party in Iceland. He said he wanted to be a "less political president" and focus on uniting the country.
Life as President of Iceland
Guðni became President of Iceland on 1 August 2016. He was 48 years old, making him Iceland's youngest president. About a month into his term, polls showed that 68.6% of people approved of him. This was one of the highest approval ratings for an Icelandic president since these polls began in 2011.
Early in his presidency, Guðni had to help with talks to form a new government after the 2016 parliamentary election. These talks were difficult because no single group of parties had a clear majority. By December 2016, his approval ratings reached an amazing 97%. This was a record for an Icelandic politician. In April 2019, his approval rating was still very high at 93.5%.
Guðni even got international attention in February 2017 when he jokingly said he would ban pineapple as a pizza topping.
In the 2020 presidential election, Guðni was re-elected with a huge 92.2% of the votes. On 1 January 2024, Guðni announced that he would not run for president again in the 2024 election. His term ended on 1 August 2024.
Family and Beliefs
Guðni was raised in the Catholic faith. However, he later decided not to be part of organized religion. He explained that he left the Catholic Church because of how it handled reports of problems within the church. He believes strongly in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "human beings are born free, equal in dignity and rights."
Guðni's father passed away from cancer when he was 42. Guðni has two brothers: Patrekur, the former handball player, and Jóhannes, who works as a systems analyst.
In 2004, Guðni married Canadian Eliza Jean Reid. They met while studying in the United Kingdom and moved to Iceland in 2003. Guðni and Eliza have four children together. Eliza became the First Lady of Iceland when Guðni became president. Guðni also has a daughter from an earlier marriage.
Honours
Guðni has received many special honours, both from Iceland and other countries.
National Honours
Iceland:
- Grand Master and Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (1 August 2016)
Foreign Honours
Denmark:
- Knight of the Order of the Elephant (24 January 2017)
Finland:
- Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (31 May 2017)
Germany:
- Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (12 June 2019)
Latvia:
- Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (16 November 2018)
Norway:
- Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (21 March 2017)
Sweden:
- Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (17 January 2018)
- Recipient of the Commemorative Golden Jubilee Medal of His Majesty The King (15 September 2023)
See also
In Spanish: Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson para niños
