Erath, Georg George Bernard Erath#
Erath, Georg (George Bernard Erath), b. Vienna, Jan. 1, 1813, d. Waco (USA), May 13, 1891. Surveyor, officer and politician. Emigrated to the USA in 1832 and was the first European to settle at Waco in Texas in 1837 ("Father of Waco"); as a surveyor he contributed greatly to the settlement of Texas; participated in the state's war for independence from Mexico and, after the accession of Texas to the United States, was elected Senator for Texas four times (for three terms of office from 1857 onwards and again in 1874). Founded the Texas Rangers in 1858 as a military unit to police the Mexican border.