Howard William Gutman (born July 8, 1956) is a lawyer, actor and former United States Ambassador to Belgium under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013.

Gutman clerked for Judge Irving Loeb Goldberg on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1980–1981).

[3] Gutman rejoined Williams & Connolly in 1986, and in 1988, Gutman became a partner at the firm, where he focused on commercial litigation, including securities, contracts, antitrust, labor, banking, real estate, intellectual property, insurance coverage, international law, and partnership disputes.

Gutman also once represented Susan Rosenberg, a former member of the Weather Underground accused, but never indicted or convicted, in the 1981 Brinks robbery in post-conviction, constitutional litigation.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) placed Gutman's poem, given on Memorial Day at Flanders Field, into the Congressional Record.

On September 7, 2011, Le Soir, a leading Belgian newspaper, ran a major profile entitled: "The Ambassador Who Makes Us Love America Again.

"[12] The comments were then misquoted in what Salon, The Economist and Mother Jones then demonstrated was a "woefully inaccurate account of his remarks.

"[13][14][15] Reliance on the misquotes led to high-profile criticism from a number of rival politicians, including Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry[16] as well as Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League.

[17] Gutman issued a statement saying, "I deeply regret if my comments were taken the wrong way", highlighting his history of condemning and combating anti-semitism, and making reference to his background as the son of a Holocaust survivor.

Currently, Howard Gutman is on the Regional Board of the American Jewish Committee Washington D.C.[21] An alleged State Department whistleblower alleged that an Inspector General's report accused Gutman of soliciting prostitutes and minors for sex while serving as ambassador, but that Undersecretary of State Patrick F. Kennedy ordered it removed from the report.

[23] On June 11, 2013, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney confirmed that the allegations were under active investigation by an independent inspector general.

[24][25][26] Despite these allegations, Gutman served his full term, including representing the United States at the invocation of the new Belgian King on July 21, 2013.

[33] Gutman is a frequent speaker including at recent investor conferences in London and Copenhagen; delivered the keynote speech at the Brussels Sustainable Development Summit in October 2015 and speaks often at annual foundation and organization meetings.

Gutman wrote a first-person account of the time in Belgium, reviewing the successes and the difficulties of public service in the age of bloggers.