David Huebner, born May 7, 1960 in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, served as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa from December 2009 to January 2014. Originally from Pennsylvania, Huebner attended Princeton University and Yale Law School. After working for various private international law firms (including Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP), he was nominated for an ambassador position by President Obama in 2008. In addition to practicing international law and being a public servant, he has also taught courses on international arbitration and intellectual property at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law. He now works for a private firm, Arnold & Porter LLP, in Los Angeles, handling cases on international disputes, trade, and investment matters. As an ambassador, much of his work focused on youth outreach, inspiring next-generation leaders, and encouraging scholarship. He also turned to new means of communication and was praised for his use of social media to voice his initiatives.
Huebner is the third openly gay ambassador in US history (the first knowingly confirmed by the Senate) and is an advocate for LGBTQ issues. An active member of the LGBTQ community, Huebner served as a leader in the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and a board member for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. He and his partner, psychiatrist Duane McWaine, have also donated their diplomatic passports to the National Museum of American History Archives Center.
During his time in New Zealand, Ambassador Huebner and Dr. McWaine advocated for marriage equality there, which became legal on August 19, 2013. Member of Parliament Louisa Wall, a driving force behind the marriage equality movement in New Zealand, gave this quilt to Huebner to celebrate his contributions. Presented by Wall, it is a traditional indigenous people’s quilt. It is inscribed with two phrases in Maori (“He mana to te tangata,” meaning “Power to the People,” and “marentanga,” meaning “wedding”) and various symbols. Smithsonian photographers captured the signing of the Deed of Gift during a ceremony at NMAH on August 19, 2014.
