In 1926 he was enrolled in the kindergarten of the Dolorosa church in the city of San José. Between 1928-1933 he studied primary education at the Buenaventura Corrales School.[4]
Oduber worked as a lawyer early in his career. In 1945, Oduber went to Canada to study philosophy at McGill University, graduating with a Master of Arts degree. In 1948, he returned to Costa Rica and participated in the revolution led by José Figueres Ferrer. When their faction won, he was named Secretary General of the Second Republic of Costa Rica.
Some time later he traveled to Paris, where he continued his philosophical studies at the Sorbonne. In 1948, while studying in France, he married Marjorie Elliott Sypher, the daughter of Canadian diplomats.[3] The couple had two children, Luis Adrian and Ana María.[3]
Daniel Oduber during the inauguration of the new facilities of the Franco-Costa Rican High School
After returning to Costa Rica, he worked in national politics, working with the Figueres presidency campaign and becoming an Ambassador in Mexico and later in Europe. He also served as foreign minister from 1962 to 1964.[2] He was President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from 1970 to 1973.[5]
He initially ran for president in 1966, and was later elected in 1974.[2] His government was very socially focused, dealing
heavily with working class issues. He worked on raising the quality of life of
rural areas and bettered pricing for agricultural products. A lot of attention was
given to reforestation and the preservation of natural resources. On the international
front, his government was popular amongst the Central American nations. During his term
in office, Oduber granted legal status to the communist party (1975) and restored consular relations with Cuba (1977).
He sided and worked with Presidents Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos to defend
Panama's sovereignty.
