Robert Lee Franklin
Agency patch
Special Ranger

Robert Lee Franklin

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Accident
End of Watch September 9, 1933
Age 47
Tour of Duty 5 mo
The Vigil Panel 67 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Texas Ranger Lee Franklin was responding to a call that a woman had been assaulted in Conroe in Montgomery County when his automobile left the roadway and collided with a telephone pole.

Franklin was taken to the hospital with a broken leg, ribs, and other injuries. He was reported to be doing well but suddenly died four days later.

Franklin had been appointed a Special Texas Ranger on March 15, 1933, and served almost 5 months. He had previously been an officer in Nacogdoches County, a constable in Trinity County, and a city policeman in Conroe.

He was buried in the Alazan Cemetery in Nacogdoches County.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-08D0917A
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Robert. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Ranger Franklin served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Ranger Franklin.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Rangers
Type Other
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 9, 1933
Tour of Duty 5 mo
Age 47
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Automobile crash

Special Ranger Robert Lee Franklin is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Texas Rangers, 11 of 122 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 9% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Rangers
11
of 122 officers
9% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Lee Franklin's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Robert Lee Franklin Compares

Age at Death
47
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
0.4
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Lee Franklin is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897