Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HR890 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.R. No. 890
2	2
3	3
4	4	R E S O L U T I O N
5	5	WHEREAS, February 20, 2023, marks the 150th anniversary of
6	6	the death of the Honorable Louis Franke; and
7	7	WHEREAS, Born Ludwig Carl Ferdinand Francke in 1818, Louis
8	8	Franke grew up in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, which is now
9	9	part of Germany; he studied music before earning a law degree from
10	10	the University of Jena; in the mid-1840s, he joined the wave of his
11	11	countrymen emigrating for the freedom and opportunity of the United
12	12	States; he arrived at Galveston, and during the Mexican War, he
13	13	served with the Texas Rangers; in 1853, he became a naturalized
14	14	citizen and formally adopted an anglicized version of his name;
15	15	that same year, he wed the former Bernhardine Helene Friederike
16	16	Dorothea Romberg; and
17	17	WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Franke began their life together on a
18	18	farm near Cedar but soon bought land from her family in the Black
19	19	Jack Springs community in Fayette County; for several years, the
20	20	couple also spent time at Independence, where Mr. Franke taught
21	21	music, French, and German at the old Baylor College; after 1859, he
22	22	focused on his farm while practicing law on the side; he served on
23	23	the local grand jury and as a county commissioner and overseer of
24	24	roads; becoming active in the local Lutheran community, the Frankes
25	25	donated land for the establishment of an Evangelical-Lutheran
26	26	academy; and
27	27	WHEREAS, At the close of Reconstruction, in 1872, Mr. Franke
28	28	was elected to the House of Representatives from what was then
29	29	District 26, covering Bastrop and Fayette Counties; he served as
30	30	chair of the Immigration Committee and as a member of the committees
31	31	on Agriculture and Stock Raising, Redistricting, and Public Lands
32	32	and Land Office; near the end of the session, on February 19, 1873,
33	33	at seven in the evening, Mr. Franke was leaving the old Capitol
34	34	Building to head to his committee meeting at the Land Office when he
35	35	was brutally attacked by two men, who made off with the $260 in pay
36	36	he had just received; although help came almost immediately, he had
37	37	sustained a grave head injury and passed away at 3:30 the following
38	38	morning; and
39	39	WHEREAS, Stunned legislators in both parties deeply mourned
40	40	the loss of a widely admired colleague; the expenses of his burial
41	41	were borne by the government, and as he lay in state in the Hall of
42	42	Representatives, the entire legislature attended the funeral
43	43	service; his coffin was conveyed down Congress Avenue to the train
44	44	station on Pecan Street in a long procession that included the
45	45	lawmakers, the governor, the Supreme Court, a military escort,
46	46	heads of departments, city fire companies and other societies, a
47	47	band, and citizens in carriages, on horseback, and on foot; a
48	48	deputation of representatives accompanied his remains on the final
49	49	journey home to his family; and
50	50	WHEREAS, Widowed at a young age, Mrs. Franke was left to
51	51	raise eight children, the youngest still an infant; she proved a
52	52	woman of steely fortitude, and with astute business sense and the
53	53	help of her industrious offspring, she expanded the land holdings
54	54	of the family and secured their prosperity; and
55	55	WHEREAS, Louis Franke exemplified the boldness, resilience,
56	56	and community spirit of the early Texans, and his tragic and
57	57	untimely death robbed the state of a born leader and true public
58	58	servant; now, therefore, be it
59	59	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
60	60	Legislature hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death
61	61	of State Representative Louis Franke.
62	62	Kitzman
63	63	______________________________
64	64	Speaker of the House
65	65	I certify that H.R. No. 890 was adopted by the House on April
66	66	14, 2023, by a non-record vote.
67	67	______________________________
68	68	Chief Clerk of the House