Richard Kaplan and Lou Carter Papers

Max Kaplan (c. 1873-1930s) and Anna Shenker Kaplan (c. 1876-1950), both born in Russia, were married in the 1890s and immigrated to the United States between 1899 and 1902, settling first in Sharon, Massachusetts, and then in Boston. Max was a self-employed tailor. The couple had five children: Samuel, David, Bessie, Louis, and Morris.

Samuel Richard Kaplan (1897-1974), later known as Richard S. “Dick”, was born in 1897 and studied at Harvard University and Suffolk University Law School. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1921 and the Indiana bar in 1922. He practiced law in Gary, Indiana, and served as Gary City Judge from 1963 to 1971. He married Betty Singer in 1922. The couple had a daughter, June Estelle.

During the 1930s, Richard served as president of Gary’s Safety Council. He took a special interest in traffic safety, visiting other cities to learn about the latest developments in the field and giving talks to schools and community groups. With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and the popularity of automobiles, drunk driving was increasingly being recognized as a national problem. In 1936, Rolla N. Harger, a biochemist at Indiana University, patented the Drunk-o-meter, a breath-testing device for measuring alcohol levels. In order to persuade a skeptical Safety Court justice of its effectiveness, Richard tested the device in the offices of Gary’s Chief of Police, consuming four ounces of whiskey and later blowing into the Drunk-o-meter balloon. Police and Safety Council officials were in attendance, and the event received nationwide attention.

Richard authored several books including History of Gary Memorial Post No. 17, 1919-1944: Twenty-five Years of Service to Community, State, and Nation (1944) and The History of the Gary Bar Association, 1907-1964 (1964). He died in Los Angeles, California in 1974.

Louis “Lou” Kaplan (1906-1977), known professionally as Lou Carter, was a jazz drummer and band leader. Louis performed with jazz bands throughout New England, including in the Ruby Newman Orchestra, and was named “New England’s ace drummer” by Swing Magazine. He enlisted in the military as a Private in 1943, and after World War II ended, he was discharged.

Upon his return, Louis started his own band, touring as Lou Carter and His Orchestra. He and his band performed at venues such as Casa Manana in Boston, the Cabana Club and the Metropolitan Theater in Providence, Rhode Island, and Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring, Florida throughout the 1950s and 60s.

Sometime before 1964, Louis married Doris. He died in Palm Beach, Florida in 1977.

circa 1873

Max Kaplan is born.

circa 1876

Anna Kaplan is born.

1897

Samuel R. Kaplan is born.

1900

The Kaplan family immigrates to the United States.

1906

Louis Kaplan is born.

1921

Samuel Kaplan (now Richard S.) is admitted to the Massachusetts bar.

1921

Richard S. Kaplan marries Betty Singer.

1922

Richard S. Kaplan is admitted to the Indiana bar.

1930s

Max Kaplan dies.

1943

Louis Kaplan enlists in the military.

1945

Louis Kaplan is discharged from the military and forms his own jazz band.

1950

Anna Kaplan dies.

1971

Richard S. Kaplan serves as City Judge in Gary, Indiana.

1974

Richard S. Kaplan dies in Los Angeles, California.

1977

Louis Kaplan dies in Palm Beach, Florida.