LENTZ, Otto Helmut Wolfgang. Hameln an der Weser 23.2.1900 — Marburg 8.12.1986. German Iranian Scholar. Professor in Hamburg. Son of Dr. Alfred Lentz (1860–1911), director of girls’ Gymnasium in Hameln, and Katharina Gette. Educated in Hameln, matriculated 1917. In 1918-23 studies of IE and classical languages, later also Iranian, Indo-Aryan…
LEHMANN, Johannes Edvard. Copenhagen 19.8.1862 — Copenhagen 23.3.1930. Danish Scholar of Comparative and Iranian Religion. Professor in Lund (Sweden). Son of Heinrich Lehmann (1815–1890), a medical Professor in a family of officials with German origin, and Signe Mackeprang (1819–1911). Matriculated in 1880 from Copenhagen, then studies of theology (under F.…
LEHMANN, Erich Arno. Kaitz near Dresden 23.5.1901 — Halle 21.4.1984. German Missionary and Indologist (Tamil Scholar). Professor in Halle. Son of an insurance official, lost his father when 4. After Lutheran missionary seminary in Leipzig (ordained priest), in 1926–34 worked as a missionary teacher of Leipzig Mission at Shirkali in…
LEGGE, James. Huntly, Aberdeenshire 20.12.1815 — Oxford 29.11.1897. British (Scottish) Missionary and Sinologist. Professor in Oxford. Son of Ebenezer Legge (1772–1848), a prosperous businessman, and Elspeth Cruikshank (1781–1817). Educated at Aberdeen Grammar School. Studied mathematics and graduated 1835 from King’s College, Aberdeen, but then turned to theology. After studies Highbury…
LEFMANN, Salomon. Telgte near Münster 25.12.1831 — Heidelberg 14.1.1912. German Indologist. Professor in Heidelberg. Son of a Jewish merchant and farmer, educated at Telgte Jewish school and privately in Paderborn. After seminary in Münster worked as teacher of Jewish religion in Westfalen. At the same time studied at the universities…
LE COQ, Albert von. Dahlem, Berlin 8.9.1860 — Berlin 21.4.1930. German Archaeologist and Central Asian Scholar. Born in a huguenot family in Berlin, son of André Auguste Le Coq (1827–1894; knighted “von” 1875) and Marianne Poppe (1826–1902). He was educated at Französisches Gymnasium (Berlin) and at Darmstadt gymnasium, but was…
LA VALLÉE POUSSIN, Louis Étienne Marie de. Liège 1.1.1869 — Brussels 18.2.1938. Belgian Indologist, a specialist of Buddhism and History. Professor in Ghent. Son of a French father, Gustave de La Vallée Poussin (1829–1910), and Belgian mother, Marie Pauline de Monge de Franeau (1845–1876), both of families with great scholarly…
LAUFER, Berthold. Köln 11.10.1874 — Chicago 13.9.1934. German Sinologist and Anthropologist in the U.S.A. Son of Max Laufer (of Jewish background) and Eugenie Schlesinger, a wealthy family. His younger brother was —> Heinrich Laufer (1877–1925). After gymnasium in Cologne studied at Berlin 1893-95, first law, but soon ethnology and Oriental…
LASSEN, Christian. Bergen 22.10.1800 — Bonn 8.5.1876. Norwegian Indologist in Germany. Professor in Bonn. Son of Nicolai Christian Vendelboe Lassen (1748–1818), a lawyer, and Frederikke Elisabeth Frisch (1761–1830). Matriculated 1818 from Bergen school and after his father’s death went in 1819 with his mother to his married sister living in…
LAMAIRESSE, Pierre Eugène. Châlons-sur-Marne (now Châlons-en-Champagne) 14.7.1817 — Marengo (Hadjout), Algeria 17.4.1898. French Engineer interested in India. The youngest son of Jean-Baptiste-Cyprien Lamairesse, an agriculturalist, studied from 1837 at École polytechnique and became 1845 a hydraulic engineer. Worked in various parts of France. Served as engineer in French India in…