Vigdís Finnbogadóttir

The Right Honourable Dame Vigdís Mary Finnbogadóttir [ˈvɪɣtis ˈfɪn.pɔɣaˌtoʊhtɪr] ( listen) (born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth President of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. In addition to being both Iceland's and Europe's first female president, she was the world's first democratically elected female head of state.^[1] With a presidency of exactly sixteen years, she also remains the longest-serving, elected female head of state of any country to date. Currently, she is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and a Member of the Club of Madrid.^[2]

Early life

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was born in Reykjavík on 15 April 1930. Her father, Finnbogi Rútur Þorvaldsson, was a civil engineer, as well as a professor at the University of Iceland. Her mother, Sigríður Eiríksdóttir, was a nurse and the chairperson of the Icelandic Nurses Association. After passing her matriculation exam in 1949, Vigdís studied French and French literature at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris from 1949–53, then studied the history of theater at the University of Copenhagen. She then acquired a BA in French and English, as well as PGCE, at the University of Iceland.

Vigdís participated in the 1960s and 1970s in numerous rallies held to protest the U.S. military presence in Iceland (and in particular at Keflavík). Every year hundreds—sometimes thousands—walked the 50-km road to Keflavík and chanted "Ísland úr NATO, herinn burt" (literally: Iceland out of NATO, the military away).

Artistic and academic career

Vigdís worked with the Reykjavík Theatre Company 1954–57 and again 1961–64. During the summers she also worked as a tour guide. Vigdís taught French at Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík 1962–67 and at Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð 1967–72. She also taught for a while at University of Iceland, as well as holding French courses on RÚV, the Icelandic state television.

She was the Artistic Director of the Reykjavík Theatre Company (Leikfélag Reykjavíkur), later the City Theatre 1972–80. From 1976 to 1980 she was a member of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Affairs in the Nordic countries.

In 1996 she became founding chair of the Council of Women World Leaders at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Two years later she was appointed president of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology.

President of Iceland

In 1980 she was the first woman in the world to be elected as head of state in a democratic election, despite being a divorced single mother (she adopted a daughter in 1972). Vigdís had been drafted as a candidate for the presidency of Iceland; she was narrowly elected, with 33.6 percent of the national vote, over three male opponents. She was subsequently reelected three times, unopposed in 1984 and 1992, but with about 95% of the votes cast in 1988. She retired in 1996. Although the Icelandic presidency is largely a ceremonial position, she took an active role as a cultural ambassador in promoting the country, and enjoyed great popularity.

In 1993 the work Mitt Folk commissioned by the British government by Oliver Kentish was dedicated to her as a gift from Britain to Iceland celebrating the 50th anniversary of the republic.^[3]

Honours

Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (5 October 1987)

Order of the Falcon

Order of the Elephant (25 February 1981)

Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav

She has received honorary degrees from the following Universities:

• University of Grenoble, France (1985)
• University of Bordeaux, France (1987)
• Smith College, U.S. (1988)
• Luther College, U.S. (1989)
• University of Manitoba, Canada (1989)
• University of Nottingham, Britain (1990)
• University of Tampere, Finland (1990)
• University of Gothenburg, Sweden (1990)
• The Gakushuin University in Tokyo, Japan (1991)
• University of Miami, U.S. (1993)
• University of Trondeim, Norway (1993)^[4][5]
• St. Mary's University in Halifax, Canada (1996)
• University of Leeds, Britain (1996)
• Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada (1997)
• University of Guelph, Canada (1998)
• University of Iceland, Iceland (2000)

Vigdís is a member of the Club of Madrid,^[6] an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.

References

External links

• official cv
• Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages