Abrom Kaplan was considered one of the greatest pioneers of the Southwestern Louisiana rice industry. He was born in Poland on 1 September 1872 and immigrated to the United States in 1885, where he worked in cigar and furniture factories. In 1886, he moved to Louisiana and became a resident of Acadia Parish in 1888. Kaplan was married twice and had a child by the name of Irving B. with his first wife.

Kaplan first opened a mercantile business and invested in real estate. He was then responsible for helping to establish rice irrigation systems, opening rice mills in Crowley, Abbeville, Gueydan, Esterwood, and Donaldsonville, Louisiana. He was also the owner of a large rice mill in Dewitt, Arkansas. In 1902, the town of Kaplan in Vermilion Parish was named after him. While very active in the Jewish community, Kaplan also helped fund the creation of churches in town. Land was donated by his nephew to build the Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital of Kaplan. Abrom Kaplan died in Crowley, Louisiana on 30 March 1944.

Note: For fuller biographical information, see Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, 1988.