John Osborne (c.1630–1692) was an English barrister and law officer who spent much of his adult life in Ireland. He was the only surviving son of the celebrated writer Francis Osborne, and the subject of his father's most famous book, Advice to a Son (1656–1658).[1]
In Ireland, Osborne became Prime Serjeant-at-law under King Charles II.[2] He was a determined opponent of King James II, was removed from office by James's government, and was later proscribed by the Irish Parliament. After the Glorious Revolution he was restored to office as Serjeant-at-law.[2] His notable independence of mind, and his hostility to all former Jacobites, Protestant as well as Roman Catholic, even those who had pledged their loyalty to the new King William III, made him as unacceptable to the new regime as he had been to the old. He was dismissed from office shortly before his death in 1692.[1]