Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (; born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician and theatre director who was the fourth president of Iceland, serving from 1980 to 1996, the first woman to hold the position and the first in the world to be democratically elected president of a country. Having served for 16 years, she was also the longest-serving elected female head of state in history. Vigdís is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and a member of the Club of Madrid.

Early life and career

Vigdís was born on 15 April 1930 in Reykjavík. Her father, Finnbogi Rútur Þorvaldsson, was a civil engineer, and her mother, Sigríður Eiríksdóttir, was a nurse who headed the national nurses association. The following year, her younger brother Þorvaldur was born; he did not survive to adulthood, as he drowned in Hreðavatn. Vigdís enrolled at the University of Grenoble in 1949, later switching to the Sorbonne. She studied English and French literature, giving special emphasis to plays, co-founding a theatre group. She also worked on the translation of several French plays. During her campaign, her anti-military position and her opposition to a United States presence in Iceland led to allegations that she was sympathetic to communism. Vigdís ran for president to prove that women were able to lead political campaigns, and she did not expect to win. She is also a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee.

Vigdís continued her peace advocacy after her tenure as president ended. In 2016, she expressed her desire for the United States and Russia to visit Iceland to resolve their differences through discussion as they did during the Reykjavík Summit. She has described the relations between the two countries as a new Cold War.

Honours

National honours

  • :
  • 70px Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (1 August 1980).

Foreign honours

  • :
  • 70px Knight of the Order of the Elephant (25 February 1981).
  • :
  • 70px Knight with Collar of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (8 October 1981; collar 1987).
  • :
  • 70px Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (18 February 1982).
  • 70px Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (25 June 1990).
  • :
  • 70px Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav (1982).
  • :
  • 70px Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose (1982).
  • :
  • 70px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (18 September 1985).
  • :
  • 70px Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Charles III (11 September 1985).

Honorary degrees

  • Université Bordeaux Montaigne, (former Université Bordeaux 3), France (1987)
  • University of Trondheim, Norway (1993)

See also

  • List of the first women holders of political offices

References

  • Official CV
  • Video interview by the Nordic Culture Fund
  • Video interview by the School of Humanities of the University of Iceland
  • Video message for the Women in Parliaments Global Forum

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