Robert Francis Kane (March 15, 1926 – December 22, 2007) was an American lawyer and judge in California who served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1984 to 1985.

[1] Kane was born in Denver in 1926, graduated from Burlingame High School in San Mateo County, California, in 1944, and then served in the US Navy.

[1] In 1971, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District, then in 1979 he resigned from the bench to join a private law firm.

[3] Kane and his wife hosted President and Mrs. Reagan at Deerfield Residence during their 1984 visit to Ireland.

[2] Burlingame High School named Kane their 1985 Alumnus of the Year,[5] and inducted him to their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.