Mortimer Caplin

Mortimer Caplin
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
In office
February 7, 1961 – July 10, 1964
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byCharles I. Fox (Acting)
Succeeded byBernard M. Harding (Acting)
Personal details
BornMortimer Maxwell Caplin
(1916-07-11)July 11, 1916
DiedJuly 15, 2019(2019-07-15) (aged 103)
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Virginia (BS, LLB)
New York University (LLM, SJD)

Mortimer Maxwell Caplin (July 11, 1916 – July 15, 2019) was an American lawyer and educator, and the founding member of Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered. He served under President John F. Kennedy on the Task Force on Taxation and later as Commissioner of Internal Revenue. In 1963, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine, which credited him as a leading tax expert working closely with Treasury Secretary Henry H. Fowler. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy and took part in the invasion of Normandy. Later he served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School and the University of Miami School of Law. His contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including the Légion d'honneur awarded by the President of the French Republic.