Writings & Remarks

Life Trustee Donald R. Osborn

December 23, 2025

Tags In Memoriam

Dear Hamilton Community,

I am writing to share that Life Trustee Donald R. Osborne P’86, GP’16, whose service as a trustee on College Hill dates to the 1970s when he was a member of the board for Kirkland College, has died. He joined the Hamilton Board of Trustees in 1978 as a life trustee when the two colleges merged.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1951 and graduating from Columbia Law School in 1957, Don joined Sullivan & Cromwell, becoming a partner in 1964 and senior counsel in 1997. As reported in his obituary, he was engaged in tax matters and estate planning. Upon becoming partner, he was primarily involved with the affairs of individual clients of the office, leading to extensive involvement with charitable foundations, horse racing, art collections, higher education, private investment partnerships, cable television, coal mining, newsprint journalism, and the beer and wine industries. His experience enabled him to advise clients on a broad spectrum of matters not just tax law.

His practice, it is reported, included advising domestic clients such as McKinsey & Company, Inc., The National Gallery of Art, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Paul Mellon’s Rokeby Stables. He represented Wm. S. Paley and became a director of CBS. He was also involved with The White Burke Miller Center of Public Affairs and the Museum of Broadcasting.

Expressions of sympathy will reach Don's family, including his wife, Marie “Maite” Antoinette Osborn P’86, GP’16; son, Rob Manning-Osborn ’86; daughter, Judy Osborn P’16, son-in-law, Paul Jorgenson P’16; grandson, Peter Robert Osborn Jorgensen ’16; and daughter-in-law Mia Manning-Osborn ’88 in care of Peter at projorgensen@gmail.com.

Steven