David L. Osborn was born on January 11, 1921 in Bethlehem, Indiana. He received a B.A. from Southwestern University at Memphis in 1940, and an M.A. from Harvard University in 1947. From 1942 to 1947 he served as a Japanese Language Officer for the U.S. Navy. On July 13, 1949, Osborn married Helena Anna Polichnowski. Osborn joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1947 and served in the following capacities: vice consul, Tokyo, 1948; information officer U.S. Information Service (USIS), Taipei, Taiwan, 1949 to 1950; consul, Sapporo, Japan, 1951 to 1953, and Kobe, Japan, 1953; international relations officer China Desk, State Department in Washington, 1954 to 1955; member of U.S. delegation to the Geneva Conference with Chinese, 1955 to 1957; political counselor, 1958 to 1961; first secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, 1961 to 1964; assigned to the National War College, 1964 to 1965; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, State Department, 1965 to 1966; deputy chief of mission, Tokyo, 1967 to 1970; Consul General, Hong Kong, 1970 to 1974; and Ambassador to Burma, 1974 to 1977. In 1978 he retired from the Department of State. He died in San Diego, California on September 16, 1994.
From the description of Osborn, David L. (David Lawrence), 1921-1994 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10609501
