WIDENGREN, Geo. Stockholm 24.4.1907 — Stockholm 28.1.1996. Swedish Scholar of Comparative Religion and of Iranian and Semitic Philology. Professor in Uppsala. Son of Georg Hugo Wilhelm Jakobsson (1875–1927), a soldier, and Anna Matilda Leontina née Widengren (1883–1969), grew up in Stockholm. After parents’ divorce in 1917 took his mother’s surname.…
WHITNEY, William Dwight. Nothampton, Mass. 9.2.1827 (hardly 1828) — New Haven, Conn. 7/8.6.1894. U.S. Indologist. Professor in New Haven. Born in an old Yankee family as the son of a businessman and banker, Josiah Dwight Whitney (1786–1869), and Sarah Williston (1800–1833). Educated in 1842-45 at Williams College (B.A. 1845). In…
WHITLEY, Jabez Cornelius. London (or Shoreditch, Middlesex) 20.1.1837 — Darjeeling 13/18.10.1904. Right Rev. British Missionary in India. Son of Rev. Edward Whitley and Ann Hunt, educated at the Mercer’s School, Holborn, from 1855 studies at Queen’s College, Cambridge (B.A. 1859), ordained deacon 1860, priest 1861. “Went to India in 1862…
WHEELER, Benjamin Ide. Randolph, Mass. 15.7.1854 — Vienna, Austria 3.5.1927. U.S. Classical and IE Scholar. The only son of Rev. Benjamin Wheeler (1807–1876), a Baptist priest, and Mary Eliza Ide (1822–1884). Educated at Franklin Academy, NH. Studies at Brown University 1871-75 (A.B. 1875, A.M. 1878), instructor at the same 1879-81.…
WESTERGAARD, Niels Ludvig. Copenhagen 27.10.1815 — Copenhagen 9.9.1878. Danish Indologist and Iranian Scholar. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of a master carpenter, Niels Nielsen Westergaard (1772–1835) and Sophie Magdalene Nyeborg (1785–1850). As a schoolboy he became interested, from the example of Rask, in comparative linguistics and Oriental languages. From 1833 studied…
WEST, Edward William. London 2.5.1824 — Watford, Hertfordshire 4.5.1905. British Indologist and Iranian Scholar in India. Born in a family of architects and engineers, both parents had been in India (father William West in Bombay, mother Margaret Anderson in Calcutta), elder brother of —> A. A. West (1827–1913). In 1839-42…
WESENDONK, Otto-Günther Alfred Moritz von (born O.-G. Wesendonck). Berlin 3.10.1885 — Berlin (Wikip. St. Margarethen, Upper Bavaria) 11.7.1933. German Diplomat and Iranian Scholar. His father, Karl von Wesendonk (1857–1934, a physicist), was knighted in 1900, mother was Eveline von Hessenstein (1861–1945). From 1903 studied at Berlin, Bonn and Heidelberg. Dr.jur.…
WENZEL, Heinrich Christian Ferdinand. Mainz 7.6.1855 — London 16.6. 1893. German Indologist and Tibetan Scholar in England. Son of Karl August Wenzel (1820–1894), a physician, and Amalia Ida Gabriele Michel (d. 1887). Educated in Mainz, matriculated 1874. Studies from 1874 at Jena, briefly at Leipzig and from 1876 at Tübingen.…
WENNERBERG, Claes Krister Gunnar. 1939 — ?.7.1996, when 57. Swedish Indologist. Son of Gunnar Wennerberg and Torborg “Bojan” Broden. Studies at Gothenburg under Liebert. Ph.D. 1981 Göteborg Universitet. Docent and half-time Universitetslektor teaching Indology and comparative linguistics at Gothenburg until his sudden and unexpected death. Married Doris Friesecke, two sons.…
WENGER, John (Johann). Schwarzeneck (Bruchenbühl) near Bern 31.8.1811 — Calcutta 20.8.1880. Rev. Swiss Missionary in India. Son of Christian Wenger (d. 1816) and his wife, née Fischer. From 1824 gymnasium and 1827 studies of classics and theology at Bern. Adopted Baptism in 1832. In 1833-38 in Greece as tutor in…