Roll of Honor
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
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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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
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Ranger Robert Lee Franklin is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Texas Rangers, 11 of 122 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Lee Franklin's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Lee Franklin Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Lee Franklin is highlighted in Sep.
Others Who Wore This Badge
121 officers from Texas Rangers are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
