Born in Copenhagen, Sveinn Bjornsson was the first president of the Republic of Iceland, ruling from 1944 until his untimely death whilst still in office on this very day in 1952.
Despite gaining its independence in 1918, Denmark continued to conduct its foreign affairs until WWII, during which time Bjornsson held his country’s top job, minister to Denmark, from 1920-24 and 1926-40.