Andrew Philip Kingsford Osmond (16 March 1938 – 14 April 1999) was a British diplomat, novelist and one of the co-founders of ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...

'' magazine in 1961. Born in Barnoldby-le-Beck, Lincolnshire, on 16 March 1938, Osmond was the son of Kingsford Osmond, a scion of a well-known Lincolnshire farming family. Educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

, Oxford (1961), Osmond joined the Foreign Office in 1962, being posted first to West Africa – where he met

Douglas Hurd Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995. A career diplomat and ...

– then subsequently Rome. He gave ''Private Eye'' its name, but had sold the majority of his shares less than a year after its launch. He returned to the ''Eye'' as managing director in 1969, increasing sales by 160% during his four-year tenure.

Published works

* '' Send him Victorious'' (1968) with

* '' The Smile on the Face of the Tiger'' (1969) with

* '' Scotch on the Rocks'' (1971) with

* '' Harris in Wonderland:'' By Philip Reid (pseudonym of Richard Ingrams and Andrew Osmond) 1973 * ''Saladin!'' (1975) * '' Plenty''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Andrew English satirists 1938 births 1999 deaths People from Lincolnshire British male novelists People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford