Herbert Hans Boswau was born December 21, 1931, in Galion, Ohio. He was the son of Hans and Elsbeth (Dubrow) Boswau. He graduated from Denison University, Granville, Ohio, in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science. He entered the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School later that year and served on active duty until 1960.

Boswau graduated from Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, with a Master’s degree in 1964. In 1965, he moved to Grand Forks to take a position in the Languages Department at the University of North Dakota. Boswau was promoted to assistant professor in 1967. He earned another Master's degree from Stanford University in 1970 and was promoted to associate professor in 1979. He retired in 1996.

Boswau was a founding member of the Foreign Language Association of North Dakota and also served as its president. Herbert Boswau died December 27, 2004, in Grand Forks.