Background
Kathen was born in Freienwalde, Farther Pomerania to the Prussian Major Karl von Kathen (1803–1876), a landowner from Langenhaken in Pomerania, and Agnes née Schumann (1825–1895).
Kathen was born in Freienwalde, Farther Pomerania to the Prussian Major Karl von Kathen (1803–1876), a landowner from Langenhaken in Pomerania, and Agnes née Schumann (1825–1895).
His family came originally from Stralsund and became Swedish nobility in 1692. Kathen married Susanne von Dechend (1859–1929), daughter of Reichsbank president Hermann von Dechend (1814–1890), on 27 September 1884 in Berlin. Kathen died in Wiesbaden, Hesse.
2 August - 18 December 1914: military governor of Mainz 19 December 1914 - 30 July 1918: commanding general of the XXIII Reserve Corps 31 July - 11 November 1918: commander-in-chief of the 8th army until February 1919: commander of the German troops in Lithuania and Estonia starting from February 1919: commander of the German troops in Latvia.