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