[1][2] He was brother to José de la Cruz Sánchez, who served as 11th Alcalde of San Francisco.

Francisco Sánchez was born in San Jose, California and was the son of Ana Josefa Soto and José Antonio Sánchez (1773–1843), grantee of Rancho Buri Buri.

[2] He married Maria Teodora Higuera and they had ten children.

[4] He also served as the leader of the failed Mexican military response to the June 14, 1846 California Republic insurrection which established United States control of Mexican California.

Sánchez is buried at the Mission Dolores in San Francisco.