Harold David Anderson AO OBE (6 September 1923 – 17 June 2020)^[1] was an Australian public servant and diplomat.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Anderson was born in the North Adelaide suburb of Semaphore on 6 September 1923, the son of A. H. Anderson of Mount Gambier. He spent his early years and education in Largs Bay and later Mount Gambier, where he attended Mount Gambier High School.^[7] At Mount Gambier High School he was dux of his Intermediate year and won the Vansittart Scholarship, which entitled him to three years at St Peter's College, Adelaide.^[8] In his final year at the college he won a Bursary to study law at the University of Adelaide. At the end of his first year he gained first position in Latin, receiving the Andrew Scott Prize, and was articled to Charles Abbott KC, who later rose to be Attorney-General of South Australia.^[7]

During his second year at university, Andserson enlisted as a Private into the Australian Army on 7 October 1942. While serving in New Guinea in 1944, Anderson sat for the cadetship examination for the new Australian diplomatic service, and was the only South Australian selected, being discharged on 3 June 1944.^[9][10]

• Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), 1980 Australia Day Honours.^[11]
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), 1966 Queen's Birthday Honours.^[12][13]