TITLE: Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of State Representative Louis Franke.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of State Representative Louis Franke.

FULL TEXT:
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