Born into German aristocracy in 1843, von Briesen came to the United States in 1858. He studied law at New York University, was admitted to the bar in 1868, and by 1874 had his own firm, practicing patent law. As a German immigrant, he took great interest in the German-American community in New York City and around the U.S. He was president of the Legal Aid Society (1890-1916), president of the Political and Citizens Union (1896), chairman of the Ellis Island Investigating Committee (1903), president of the New York branch of the National Roosevelt League, and was appointed by President Roosevelt as a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists in St. Louis (1904). Disheartened by World War I, he died in 1920.
From the description of Arthur von Briesen papers, 1895-1929 (bulk 1905-1920). (Princeton University Library). WorldCat record id: 83514217
