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Björnsson was a lawyer at the Supreme Court after 1907 and became a member of the Reykjavík town council in 1912, acting as its president (1918–20). A member of the Althingi (parliament) in 1914–16 and 1920, he served as special envoy to the United States (1914) and Great Britain (1915), arranging the first British-Icelandic trade agreement. He acted as minister to Denmark (1920–24 and 1926–41) and was a delegate to several international conferences.
Although Iceland achieved nominal independence in 1918, it remained part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its foreign affairs were conducted by Denmark until the beginning of World War II. The German occupation of Denmark after May 1940, however, resulted in Iceland’s full separation from the Danish state, and Björnsson was elected regent three times in 1941–43, assuming all the prerogatives in Icelandic affairs previously held by the Danish king. He was elected president on the inauguration of the Republic of Iceland in 1944 and was reelected by acclamation in 1945 and 1949. He remained president until his death.
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