He was the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Human Relations at Columbia University, and a Guggenheim Fellow.
[1][2] He attended Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1918 and a PhD in 1926.
[3] Friess joined the Department of Philosophy and Religion at his alma mater, Columbia University, as a faculty member in 1919.
[2] He was the department chair from 1962 to 1964, and the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Human Relations from 1964 to 1966, when he retired.
[1][4] Friess was the head of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, founded by his father-in-law.