Rashid Khan Kaplanov

Kaplanov was born to a royal Kumyk biy family in the village of Aksay, currently in Khasavyurtovsky District, Dagestan. His family traced its origin to Soltan-Mut of Endirey, a prince of the house of Shamkhals. He completed his secondary education in a Vladikavkaz Realny School. In 1910 he graduated from the Law Department of Sorbonne University. He then taught at Istanbul University in Turkey. In 1913, he returned to Vladikavkaz and worked as an attorney in a regional court. ==Political career==

In 1917-1918, he became one of the key founders of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, where he held several ministerial positions within its government. After Denikin forces invaded the State bringing them under Russian rule, Kaplanov moved to Baku, Azerbaijan in early 1919. In 1919, Gaplanov arranged funding for 100 Azerbaijani students to study at universities abroad. He also spearheaded establishment of State Commission on General Education Reforms which eventually introduced the Azerbaijani alphabet based on Latin script. Gaplanov remained in the office until December 22 of the same year, when the new fifth government was formed, where he took the position of Minister of Finance. He served as Minister of Finance until 1 April 1920. == Family ==

His parents were Zavid Kaplan-Hajiyevich Kaplanov (1838-1914) — one of the largest landowners in Dagestan — and Aybala Ozdeadjieva. He had a younger brother named Ibrahim (Irbay) Kaplanov/Kaplanoff (1887-1948), who in 1918 commanded the Kumyk Cavalry Regiment of the Mountainous Republic, and later fought in the White Army of Denikin. After the defeat of the Whites, he emigrated to the United States, married American heiress Vernon Marguerite Siems Haskell (née Magoffin), and died in 1947. His younger sister Najabat (1886-1979) was married to Temirbolat (Fyodor) Bekovich-Cherkassky (1870-1953), also the Kumyk biy (prince) and last Military Governor of Kabarda. Rashid-khan himself was married to Olga Efimovna Arshon (1886-1964), a Jewish student of the medical faculty of the Sorbonne University. His father was furious and disinherited him because of the choice, but they made amends after three years. With Olga Arshon he had: • son: Murad Kaplanov (1915-1980) — Soviet scientist, chief designer of the first Soviet space communication systems; married to Liliana Rambakh (1918-1999), issue • grandson: Rashid Kaplanov (1949-2007) — President of the European Association for Jewish Studies (EAJS) (2002-2006) • daughter: Fatma Okuneva (1911-1992) — married to Yuri Mazel (1896-1938) and then Israel Okunev (1911-1963), had issue. ==See also==