Svavar Gestsson

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Svavar.

Svavar Gestsson
Icelandic Minister of Commerce
In office September 1, 1978 – October 15, 1979
Preceded by	Ólafur Jóhannesson
Succeeded by	Kjartan Jóhannsson
Icelandic Minister of Social Affairs
In office 8 February 1980 – April 28, 1983
Preceded by	Magnús Helgi Magnússon
Succeeded by	Alexander Stefánsson
Icelandic Minister of Education
In office 28 September 1988 – 30 April 1991
Preceded by	Birgir Ísleifur Gunnarsson
Succeeded by	Ólafur Garðar Einarsson
Ambassador of Iceland to Sweden of Iceland to Sweden
In office 30 August 2001 – 30 November 2005
Preceded by	Hörður H. Bjarnason
Succeeded by	Guðmundur Árni Stefánsson
Ambassador of Iceland to Denmark of Iceland to Denmark
In office 22 November 2005 – 15 February 2012
Preceded by	Þorsteinn Pálsson
Succeeded by	Sturla Sigurjónsson
Personal details
Born	(1944-06-26)26 June 1944 Guðnabakki, Stafholtstungur, Iceland
Died	18 January 2021(2021-01-18) (aged 76)
Spouse	Jónína Benediktsdóttir ​ ​ (m. 1964, divorced)​ Guðrún Ágústsdóttir ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	3
Parents	Gestur Zóphónías Sveinsson (* 3 October 1920, died 29 December 1980) Farmer (father) Guðrún Valdimarsdóttir (* 28 March 1924) (mother)
Alma mater	1964: Graduated MR. in 1964 enrolled in law at the University. from 1967 to 1968 studied in Berlin.

Svavar Gestsson (26 June 1944 – 18 January 2021) was an Icelandic politician and Minister for Social Affairs (from February 1980 to May 1983), Minister for Culture and Education in the cabinet of Steingrímur Hermannsson (1988–1991), Member of Parliament (1978–1999), and Ambassador (1999–2009).

Diplomatic career

• From 30 August 2001 to 30 November 2005 he was ambassador in Stockholm and from 21 February 2002 to 5 June 2006 concurrently accredited in Belgrade, Sofia, Tirana and Dhaka
• From 22 November 2005 to 15 February 2010 he was ambassador in Copenhagen and from 21 June 2006 to 16 December 2010 Ambassador of Iceland concurrently to Turkey, Israel, Rumenia, Tunis.

External links

• Biography of Svavar Gestsson on the parliament website
• Hannes H. Gissurarson: Communism in Iceland, 1918–1998 Social Science Research Institute at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik 2021.