Richard Bache Jr. (1784-1848)

He was a maternal grandson of Benjamin Franklin and in 1805 he married Sophia, the sister of U.S. Vice-President George Mifflin Dallas, with whom he had nine children. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (1812) at the outset of the War of 1812, organizing a volunteer artillery unit which gained some notoriety and became known as the "Franklin Flying Artillery." After the war, Captain Bache was appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia - the same office once filled by his famous grandfather - serving from 1815 to 1828. However, in 1832, he fled to Texas, "under a cloud of suspicion, leaving his family behind. The reasons were never clear." Some say it was to flee his creditors while others have suggested there had been accusations of embezzlement during his term as Postmaster. Either way, no charges were filed against him.

He settled in Stephen F. Austin’s colony at Brazoria, serving with the Texas Navy and then the Louisiana Independent Volunteers in support of Texan Independence. After the Battle of San Jacinto (1836), he was placed in charge of guarding the Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. In 1838, he was appointed Chief Clerk in the Navy Department at Houston and a Clerk in the Texas House of Representatives. He moved to Galveston in 1842 where he served as Commissioner of the Navy Yard, Justice of the Peace for Galveston County, Import Inspector, and State Senator from Galveston. In 1845, he cast the only vote against the annexation of Texas, but still helped draw up the Constitution.