LESSING, Ferdinand Dietrich (Diedrich). Essen-Altenessen 26.2.1882 — Berkeley, Calif. 31.12.1961. German Sinologist and Central Asian Scholar in the U.S.A. U.S. citizen 1946. Professor in Berkeley. Son of Edward Lessing (1854–1926) and Elisabeth Brockhaus. Gymnasium in Lingen, matriculated in 1902. Studies of Chinese and Russian in Berlin (diplom 1905), guided by…
LESNÝ, Vincenc. Komárovice, Moravia 3.4.1882 — Prague 9.4.1953. Czech Indologist. Professor in Prague. Born in a poor family, son of Baltazar Lesný and Victorie Šuckerlová. After school first in a naval academy at Pula, from 1903 studies at Prague, of classical philology, IE and Indology (Zubatý and Winternitz). Ph.D. 1907/08…
LE ROUX DESHAUTESRAYES, Michel-Ange-André (des Hautesrayes, des Hautes-Rayes). Conflans-Sainte-Honorine near Pontoise 10.9.1724 — Rueil Malmaison near Paris 9.2.1795. French Orientalist and Sinologist, a Pioneer of Buddhist Studies. Professor in Paris. Son of Antoine Le Roux Hautesrayes and Catherine Geneviève Fourmont. Through his mother nephew of the Orientalist brothers Etienne and…
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.…
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…
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…