Robert Morgan
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Robert Morgan

Franklin County Sheriff's Office — Mount Vernon, TX
Felonious
End of Watch April 5, 1879
Age 24
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 6 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Morgan was guarding prisoners in the jail while Sheriff Templeton went to dinner. The Sheriff had just left the jail when he heard shots fired. Six men had staged a jail break to free a prisoner. Deputy Morgan returned fire, striking one of the gang. Sheriff Templeton rushed back to find Deputy Morgan wounded and he died a few minutes later. The gang was indicted for burglary. Two gang members were charged with murder.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-D503A8B2
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

147 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Morgan gave the Franklin County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Mount Vernon community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Location Mount Vernon, TX
Platform Identity fcso.franklin.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 5, 1879
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 24
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Deputy Sheriff Robert Morgan is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Franklin County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,463
of 2,421 officers
60.4% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Morgan's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Robert Morgan Compares

Age at End of Watch
24
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Morgan is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Franklin County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.