Oddsson, Davíð

Oddsson, Davíð

(dä`vĭth ōd`sōn), 1948–, Icelandic politician and writer. A lawyer, radio producer, and the author of several plays and teleplays, he also worked for the Reykjavík Health Insurance (1976–82), becoming a managing director. From 1982 to 1991 he was mayor of Reykjavík, having served on the city council since 1974. Elected to the Althing as a member of the conservative Independence party in 1991, he became prime minister the same year and remained in the office until 2004, when he swapped roles with Foreign Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson. From 2005 until 2009 Oddsson served as chairman of the board of governors of Iceland's central bank. He was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 2016.