La Branche was born near New Orleans, the son of Alexandre La Branche (a Revolutionary War regimental commander whose family had emigrated to Louisiana from Bavaria and had changed its surname from the German "Zweig" to the French "Branche," with both names meaning "branch") and Marie Jeanne Piseros (whose family was of Spanish ancestry).See "Alcée Louis La Branche" in "The Handbook of Texas," published by the Texas State Historical Association: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fla06. La Branche attended the Université de Sorèze in Sorèze (France).
