Texas Legislators: Past & Present

Francis Gray Franks

Full Name: Francis Gray Franks
Birth date: 1838
Death date: June 11, 1874

Terms of Service

Senate, 13th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ Legislature
1/14/1873 - 1/13/1874
Republican
House, 12th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁶⁾ Legislature
2/8/1870 - 1/14/1873

(1) Entire Senate went up for reelection due to Senatorial redistricting. Act passed Apr. 24, 1873 [presented to Governor May 1, 1873 and became law without his signature], 13th Legislature, R.S., ch. 35, Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950 1950.
(2) Republican. Directory of the Members of the Thirteenth Legislature of the State of Texas 1873.
(3) 12th Legislature, 1st C.S. - Eligibility to serve challenged by democratic members, 6/6/1870, p. 312; resolution not adopted, 6/11/1870, p. 349. House Journal . June 6, 1870
June 11, 1870
(4) 12th Legislature, Provisional Session - Qualified and took the oath of office on 2/8/1870. House Journal .
(5) 13th Legislature - 1/14/1873, p. 1. S. Evans, F.G. Franks, and R.P. Tendick absent on first day. Senate Journal .
(6) Party affiliation, Radical. Texas Almanac for . . . and Emigrant's Guide to Texas .
(7) 13th Legislature - Republican, p. 145. The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889 1999.

Biographical Notes and Resources

Resolutions and Journal entries

J.G. Franks. House Journal .

Photographs

Photograph. Francis Franks, DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs
Photograph. Francis Franks, State Preservation Board

Other Resources

Census of 1870 - F.G. Franks, Wharton County, age 32, born circa 1838 in Mississippi, lawyer.
Francis G. Franks married Martha Ann Davis, 12/26/1867 in Wharton County. Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965. FamilySearch .
"Trouble in Wharton County," 11/14/1873, p. 3. "Gray Franks, late Senator from that district, had a misunderstanding with Mr. Boffman [sic] — the present Sheriff of Wharton County, and nominee of the Radical party for the Senate in Mr. Frank's place — in which Mr. Boffman received the contents of a double-barrel shot-gun." Galveston Daily News .
"From Wharton County," 6/14/1874, p. 2. "About 4 o'clock this afternoon [June 11, 1874] L.L. Lacy shot and killed F.G. Franks." Galveston Daily News .
"Letter from Wharton," 12/14/1873, p. 4. "We had very nearly an event between two prominant Republicans this week." Galveston Daily News .
Attempted murder of I.N. Baughman and murder of Gray Franks discussed in "Southern Law and Order," 9/25/1876, p. 8. New York Times .
Biographical sketch, p. 150. Born 1838 in Mississippi. The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889 1999.