Heinrich Alfred Barb

Heinrich Alfred Barb (1 January 1826 – 2 June 1883) was a Galician academic, university director, civil servant, interpreter and author who received recognition both from his native Austro - Hungary and overseas for his contribution to the Arts and Sciences, and in particular towards the study of Persian and oriental languages. He was the director of what is now the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (at that time still the Oriental Academy). Born Jewish, he formally left the Jewish faith on 1 February 1884 while in his first year of law at the University of Vienna and rose in the civil service to the rank of ''Hofrat'', a distinction rarely accorded to those of Jewish ancestry. Provided by Wikipedia