| Frederick William Kaess | |
| Office: | Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan |
| Term Start: | December 13, 1975 |
| Term End: | March 30, 1979 |
| Office1: | Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan |
| Term Start1: | 1972 |
| Term End1: | 1975 |
| Predecessor1: | Ralph M. Freeman |
| Successor1: | Damon Keith |
| Office2: | Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan |
| Term Start2: | July 6, 1960 |
| Term End2: | December 13, 1975 |
| Appointer2: | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Predecessor2: | Arthur F. Lederle |
| Successor2: | Ralph B. Guy Jr. |
| Birth Name: | Frederick William Kaess |
| Birth Date: | 1 December 1910 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan |
| Education: | Detroit College of Law (LL.B.) |
Frederick William Kaess (December 1, 1910 – March 30, 1979) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Kaess was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 1, 1910, the son of Frederick Charles Kaess Jr. and Dorothy Koch Kaess.[1] He received his earliest education in the public schools of Detroit, graduated from Lake Shore High School of suburban St. Clair Shores, Michigan, and received a Bachelor of Laws from Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University College of Law) in 1932. He was a municipal judge for St. Clair Shores, Michigan from 1932 to 1933. He was an attorney and claims manager for the Michigan Mutual Liability Company from 1933 to 1945. He was a deputy commissioner for the Workmen's Compensation Commission in Lansing, Michigan from 1939 to 1940. He was in private practice in Detroit from 1945 to 1953. He was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1953 to 1960.
On June 10, 1960, Kaess was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Judge Arthur F. Lederle. Kaess was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 2, 1960, and received his commission on July 6, 1960. He served as Chief Judge from 1972 to 1975, assuming senior status on December 13, 1975 and serving in that capacity until his death on March 30, 1979.