Horace L. Friess (March 4, 1900 – October 12, 1975) was an American ethicist. He was the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Human Relations at Columbia University, and a Guggenheim Fellow.

Friess was born on March 4, 1900, in New York City.^[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.^[1][4] He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1942.^[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.^[1] He translated from German into English a book by Friedrich Schleiermacher, and he co-authored another book with Herbert Schneider. He edited The Review of Religion for 15 years.^[4]

Friess married Ruth Adler, the daughter of ethicist Felix Adler.^[1] They resided in Manhattan.^[4]

Friess died on October 12, 1975, in New York City.^[1][2]

• Friess, Horace L., ed. (1926). Schleiermacher's Soliloquies. Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company. ISBN 9781579108557. OCLC 50447269.
• Friess, Horace L.; Schneider, Herbert (1932). Religion in Various Cultures. New York: H. Holt and Company. OCLC 2027788.