GORDON, Thomas Edward. Aberdeen 12.1.1832 — Kensington (London) 23.3.1914. Sir. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer in India. Son of captain William G. and Maria Carlotta Loi (of Spain), educated at Edinburgh Military Academy, with his twin brother (Sir John James Hood Gordon, 1832–1904) entered the army (the 4th regiment) in 1849,…
GIRAUDEAU, Pierre-Philippe. Saint-Mars-de-Coutais (Loire-Intérieure) 17.3.1850 — Kangding (Dajianlu), Tibet 13.11.1941. French Catholic Missionary in Tibet. Son of Pierre Jean G. and Jeanne Guihal. Served in Franco-German war, ordained priest 1876. In 1877 joined Missions étrangères and after seminary in Paris departed in 1878 to Eastern Tibet. Served in various stations…
GIORGI, Antonio Agostino (Augustinus Antonius Georgius; baptized Francesco Maria Giorgi). Santo Mauro di Romagna (near Rimini) 10.5.1711 — Rome 4.5.1797. Italian Monk, Theologian, and Orientalist, a Coptic Scholar and Pioneer of Tibetan Studies. Son of Antonio G. and Antonia Semprini. Augustinian monk since 1727, from 1752 librarian of Biblioteca Angelina…
GERARD, Alexander. Aberdeen 17.2.1792 — Aberdeen 15.12.1839. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer and Explorer in India. Son of Gilbert G. (1760–1815), D.D., and Helen Duncan, brother of —> James G. Gerard and —> Patrick Gerard. Graduated from King’s College, Aberdeen, in 1808 and joined the Bengal Native Infantry. In 1812-17 and…
GABET, Joseph. Nevy-sur-Seille (Jura) 4.12.1808 — Rio de Janeiro 3.3.1853. French Lazarist Missionary in China. Son of a smallholder, went at the age of 15 to petit séminaire de Vaux, at 20 to grand séminaire de S.-Claude. Ordained as a priest at the age of 26. In 1834 he joined…
FRAUWALLNER, Erich. Wien-Währing 28.12.1898 — Vienna 5.7.1974. Austrian Indologist and Tibetan Scholar. Professor in Vienna. Son of the financial secretary (later wirkl. Hofrath) Friedrich Fr. and Maria Barbara Riedler. School in Vienna. In 1915 started learning Sanskrit still as a schoolboy. In 1916 to army, served two and a half…
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 elder A.H.Fr., a merchant and dyehouse owner, and Charlotte Susanne Beyer. After school in Gnadenfrei studied for the missionary work at teachers’ seminar…
FOUCAUX, Philippe-Édouard. Angers (Maine-et-Loire) 15.9.1811 — Paris 19.5.1894. French Indologist and Tibetan scholar. Professor in Paris. Son of a wealthy merchant from Angers, came to Paris in 1828 to study Oriental languages. He was a student of Burnouf and prompted by him started on his own to learn Tibetan from…
FINCK, Felix (lay Henricus Finck). Antwerpen 1868 — Maryabad, Punjab (Pakistan) 29.3.1932. Father. Belgian Capuchin (OFM) Missionary, Historian and Tibetan Scholar in India. From Antwerpen, worked in Maryabad in Western Punjab. In 1912 living in Calcutta, then 191?-21 in Bettiah. Publications: Wrote on the old Mughal mission of Jesuits. –…
FILCHNER, Wilhelm. Munich (or Bayreuth?) 13.9.1877 — Zürich 7.5.1957. German Geodesist and Explorer. Son of Eduard F. (1836-1882), Lazarettverwaltungsinspektor in Bayreuth, and Rosine von Leistner (1855-1908), Catholic. Lost early his father and lived in Munich with his mother and uncle. After school entered military career. As a second lieutenant he…