FRANKE, Alwin Wilhelm Otto. Gernrode, Harz 27.9.1863 — Berlin 5.8.1946. German Sinologist (started with Indology). Son of the Burgermeister Friedrich F. (1831–1889; from 1876 director of a prison in Coswig) and Henriette Ziegler (1832–1917). In 1882-87 studies of history, soon also of Indology and law at Freiburg, Berlin, Göttingen and…
FRANK, Othmar (born Johann Georg Frank). Bamberg 8.5.1770 — Vienna 16.9.1840. German Pioneer of Indology. Professor in Munich. Son of Konrad Frank, a master tailor, and Maria-Anna Köberlein. After school in Bamberg he entered the Benedictine monastery of Banz near Bamberg (now taking the new name Othmar Frank), and was…
FRANCKE, August Hermann. Ober-Peilau, Schlesien (then Gnadenfrei, now Piława Górna in Poland) 5.11.1870 — Berlin 16.2.1930. German Missionary (in Ladakh) and Tibetologist. Professor in Berlin. Son of the elder A. H. Francke (1838–1898), a merchant and dyehouse owner, and Charlotte Susanne Beyer (1842–1890). After school in Gnadenfrei studied for the…
FRAENKEL, Ernst Eduard Samuel. Berlin 16.10.1881 — Hamburg 2.10.1957. German IE, Greek, and Balto-Slavic Linguist. Professor in Kiel and Hamburg. Son of Professor Dr. Albert Fraenkel (1848–1916), a specialist of internal medicine in Berlin, and Gertrud Strassmann. From 1899 studies of Sanskrit, classics and Indo-European at Bonn and Berlin (W.…
FOY, Willy Karl Max Emil. Leipzig 27.11.1873 — 1.3.1929. German Indologist and Ethnologist. Professor in Cologne. After school in Leipzig, Dresden and Köln studied from 1892 philology at Leipzig (Windisch, Brugmann). Ph.D. 1895 Leipzig. After a while as Assistant in Dresden Ethnographic Museum became in 1901 the first director of…
FORSTER, Johann Reinhold. Dirschau, West Prussia (now Tczew in Poland) 22.10.1729 — Halle 9.12.1798. German Scientist. Son of George Reinhold Forster (1693–1753), a mayor, of an originally Scottish family (Forrester) emigrated to Germany in the mid-17th century, and Eva Wolf. After theology studies at Halle started his career as an…
FORSTER, Johann Georg Adam (George Forster). Nassenhuben near Danzig (now Mokry Dwór in Poland) 27.11.1754 — Paris 10.1.1794. German Scientist, Author and Traveller interested in India. The eldest son of —> Reinhold Forster (1729–1798) and Justine Elisabeth Nicolai. As a youth travelled with his father in 1765 in Russia and…
FORKE, Ernst Conrad Alfred. Schöningen/Kr. Helmstedt (Braunschweig) 12.1.1867 — Hamburg 9.7.1944. German Sinologist. Professor in Hamburg. Son of Wilhelm Forke, merchant and steam mill owner, and Minna Tenne (1842–1868). After gymnasium in Magdeburg, studies of law at Geneva and Berlin. Dr. iuris 1890 Rostock. At the same time also studied…
FLORENZ, Karl Adolf. Erfurt 10.1.1865 — Hamburg 9.2.1939 (or 1.4.?). German Indologist and Japanologist. Professor in Tokyo and Hamburg. Son of Eduard Florenz, a teacher, and Susanne Walther. Catholic, educated at Erfurt Gymnasium. From 1883 studies of modern and Oriental languages at Leipzig, where G. von der Gabelentz prompted him…
FISCHER, Kurt (Curt) Bruno Otto. Berlin 2.3.1892 — Berlin 25.8.1942. German Bauddha. Son of a modest official, Gustav Fischer (1859–1923) and Emilie Christophersen, himself worked then as official. Adopted Buddhism in 1918. Pupil, secretary and successor of Dahlke (d. 1928) as the leader of Buddhistisches Haus in Berlin-Frohnau, where he…