Samuel Louis Kaplan (born 1936) is an American diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Morocco.^[1] He was appointed ambassador in 2009 by President Barack Obama, replacing the previous ambassador Thomas T. Riley.^[2] He is one of only a few American Jews to represent the United States in a Muslim nation.^[3]

Before entering the diplomatic service, Kaplan was a well-known business and community leader in Minneapolis, where he headed a law firm that he founded in 1978. He attended the University of Minnesota where he earned both an undergraduate and a law degree, graduating magna cum laude, and where he served as President of the Minnesota Law Review.^[4]

After law school graduation, Kaplan was an assistant professor of law and a guest speaker in law classes. Later, he founded the law firm of Kaplan, Strangis and Kaplan, P.A, in 1978.^[5]