Arthur von Briesen (July 11, 1843 – May 13, 1920) was a lawyer and philanthropist. He was president of the Legal Aid Society from 1889 to 1916.

Biography

Briesen was born on July 11, 1843, in Borkendorf, Kingdom of Prussia and migrated to the United States in 1858, at the age of 15. In 1873 he married Anna Goepel. Briesen then began to study law, he enlisted and served as sergeant of Company B of the First New York Volunteers during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. After the war, he finished his legal studies at the

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

for New York state in 1868. He was president of the Legal Aid Society from 1890 to 1916. His support for Germany during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

led to his resignation. He was replaced by

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

. Briesen died in Manhattan on May 13, 1920, at the

Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal The Whitehall Terminal is a ferry terminal in the South Ferry, Manhattan, South Ferry section of Lower Manhattan, New York City, at the corner of South Street (Manhattan), South Street and Whitehall Street. It is used by the Staten Island Ferr ...

while waiting for the ferry to arrive, to commute to his summer house at

Fort Wadsworth Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower bays, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay, Manhattan, and beyon ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

Legacy

His onetime summer estate adjoining

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, is now Von Briesen Park, named for him. His papers are archived at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briesen, Arthur von 1843 births 1920 deaths Legal Aid Society People from Staten Island New York University School of Law alumni People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from the Province of Silesia Prussian emigrants to the United States