Sylvester Turner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvester Turner
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Official portrait, 2025
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 18th district |
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| In office January 3, 2025 – March 5, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Erica Lee Carter |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| 62nd Mayor of Houston | |
| In office January 2, 2016 – January 1, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Annise Parker |
| Succeeded by | John Whitmire |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 139th district |
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| In office January 10, 1989 – January 2, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Clint Hackney |
| Succeeded by | Jarvis Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 27, 1954 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 2025 (aged 70) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Cheryl Gillum
(m. 1983; div. 1991) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Houston (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Sylvester Turner (September 27, 1954 – March 5, 2025) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He served as a U.S. representative for Texas's 18th district from January 2025 until his death in March 2025. Before that, he was the 62nd Mayor of Houston from 2016 to 2024. He also served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 to 2016.
Turner was born and grew up in Houston, Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Houston. He then received a law degree from Harvard Law School. He was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1988. He continued to serve there until 2016.
Turner ran for mayor of Houston in 1991 and again in 2003, but he did not win. He won the 2015 Houston mayoral election by a very small difference. It was the closest mayoral election in Houston's history. In December 2019, Turner won his second term as mayor.
In 2024, after Sheila Jackson Lee passed away, Turner decided to run for her congressional seat. He was chosen by his party to run. He was then elected in November 2024 and started his term in January 2025. He worked on the Homeland Security Committee and the Science, Space, & Technology Committee. Turner passed away on March 5, 2025, after attending a speech by Donald Trump the night before. A special election will be held on November 4, 2025, to choose the next representative for his district.
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Early Life and Education
Sylvester Turner was born on September 27, 1954, in Houston, Texas. He was the sixth of nine children. His father, Eddie Turner, was a painter. His mother, Ruby Mae Turner, worked as a maid. He grew up in a part of northwest Houston called Acres Homes.
Turner's father passed away when Sylvester was 13 years old. His mother's hard work and positive attitude greatly influenced him. He attended Klein High School. This school used to be only for white students. Black students, including Turner, were bused there as part of efforts to end segregation.
At Klein High School, Turner was an excellent student. He was student body president and a debate champion. He also graduated as the top student in his class. He then went to the University of Houston. There, he was Speaker of the Student Senate. He graduated with high honors in 1976 with a degree in political science.
Turner was interested in becoming a lawyer from a young age. He was inspired by the TV show Perry Mason. He went on to Harvard Law School and earned his law degree in 1980. He was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Legal Career
After finishing law school, Turner joined a law firm called Fulbright & Jaworski. In 1983, he started his own law firm, Barnes & Turner, with Barry M. Barnes. Turner focused on business law. He also worked as an immigration lawyer in Houston for many years.
He taught as a visiting professor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He also gave lectures at other law schools in Texas.
Political Career
In 1984, Turner ran for Harris County Commissioner but did not win. Four years later, in 1988, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. He represented House District 139 in Harris County. He stayed in this office until 2016. During this time, he ran for mayor of Houston in 1991 and 2003, but he was not successful.
During his 1991 campaign for mayor, Turner faced questions about his past. This issue affected his election chances. Later, courts found that some of the claims made against him were false and damaging.
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Turner served more than 25 years in the Texas House of Representatives. He held many important roles. He was a member of the Legislative Budget Board. He was also Vice-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
He supported policies to bring doctors to areas that needed them most. He also worked to increase money for mental health services in Harris County. He helped get more funds for legal help for Texans who could not afford it.
In 2015, Turner was elected Mayor of Houston. He won by a small margin against Bill King. He was re-elected in 2019 and served as mayor for eight years.
In October 2017, Mayor Turner helped people affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
When his time as mayor ended on January 1, 2024, Houston was facing financial challenges. The city was spending more money than it was taking in each year. In 2023, Turner supported Sheila Jackson Lee to be the next mayor, but she lost the election.
After Sheila Jackson Lee passed away, leaving her congressional seat open, Turner decided to run for it. He won the election and became a U.S. Representative in January 2025. He served on the Homeland Security Committee and the Science, Space, & Technology Committee. He served in Congress until his death on March 5, 2025.
Hurricane Harvey Response
After Hurricane Harvey, Mayor Turner was criticized for not telling people to evacuate. He explained that moving "6.5 million" people would be very difficult. He also mentioned the problems and deaths that happened during the 2005 Hurricane Rita evacuation. Critics argued that not everyone needed to evacuate, but at least those in flood zones or at high risk could have been moved to safety.
Political Views
Ride-Sharing Apps
In 2016, Turner supported stronger rules for companies like Uber that offer ride-sharing services.
LGBT Rights
During his 2015 mayoral campaign, Turner said he was fully committed to bringing back the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). This ordinance aimed to protect people from discrimination.
Consumer Protections
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In 1999, Turner voted to change how the electric power industry worked in Texas. This change allowed customers to choose their electricity provider. He also worked to protect Texans from unfair practices by utility companies. For example, he voted for bills that stopped gas companies from cutting off service during cold weather. He also limited how much utility companies could raise rates without state approval.
Turner also worked on laws to prevent electricity companies from charging "minimum usage fees" if customers used too little power. He supported allowing the Public Utility Commission to stop companies that threatened the state's electricity supply. He also helped promote a program called "LITE-UP Texas" that helped low-income Texans get discounts on their electricity bills.
Public Education
In 2004, Turner voted against a plan that would have reduced benefits for future public school employees. He also spoke out against investment managers who received large bonuses while schools faced funding cuts. In 2011, he voted against a plan that would have cut education funding for all Texas schools by $4 billion.
As a legislator, Turner opposed measures that would allow school districts to lower salaries or increase the number of students per teacher. He also opposed a corporate tax break that he believed would harm public school funding.
Immigration
Texas has laws against "sanctuary cities." However, as Mayor, Turner stated that Houston would not help ICE agents with immigration raids.
Health Care
Turner supported the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). He voted against joining an alternative health care plan. He also introduced laws to expand Medicaid in Texas, which would help more people get health care. He warned other lawmakers that not expanding Medicaid could upset voters.
One of his big achievements in the House was a law passed in 2007. It expanded access to the children's health insurance program. In 2015, he also passed a law to provide more money for medical trauma centers. He also worked on laws to help people with mental illness get care as they moved from institutions back into the community.
Turner often attended public health programs. He helped with efforts related to COVID-19 safety and community health care.
Criminal Justice
On gun control, Turner opposed laws that would limit lawsuits against gun makers. He also opposed allowing hidden handguns on college campuses. He supported a bill that would stop state money from being used to enforce federal gun rules. Turner also wanted to change the system where judges chose who served on grand juries.
Homelessness Efforts
As mayor of Houston, Turner aimed to end long-term homelessness in the city. He asked the police to enforce a rule that banned sharing food with homeless people in Houston. Because of this, a volunteer group called Food Not Bombs received many tickets for giving food to homeless people.
Political Endorsements
In February 2020, Turner supported Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. When Bloomberg ended his campaign, Turner then supported Joe Biden.
Personal Life
Turner was married to Cheryl Gillum from 1983 to 1991. She was a former assistant district attorney in Harris County. They had one daughter, Ashley Page Turner. Ashley married Jimmie Captain in March 2022.
As mayor, Turner hosted the opening ceremonies of Anime Matsuri from 2018 to 2023, except for 2020. He even dressed up in anime cosplay as characters like a member of the Akatsuki from Naruto (2018), Goku from Dragon Ball (2019), Kyōjurō Rengoku from Demon Slayer (2021), Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach (2022), and Luffy from One Piece (2023).
Illness and Death
In November 2022, Turner shared that he had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. This is a rare type of bone cancer. He had surgery and radiation treatment for it.
On the afternoon of March 4, 2025, Turner felt unwell while working in the Cannon House Office Building. After getting medical help, he was able to attend President Donald Trump's speech to Congress that evening. Later, he was briefly hospitalized before going home to his Washington residence. He passed away in the early morning of March 5, 2025, at age 70.
Turner served only 61 days in the House of Representatives. He was the first member of the 119th Congress to pass away while in office. He was also the second representative for Texas's 18th district to die in office within a year, after Sheila Jackson Lee.
Houston's mayor, John Whitmire, ordered flags in the city to fly at half-staff to honor Turner. Texas governor Greg Abbott also ordered flags across the state to fly at half-staff until March 8, 2025.
Turner's body lay in state at the Houston City Hall rotunda on March 11, 2025. From March 13–14, 2025, he lay in honor at the Texas State Capitol's House chamber. His funeral was held at The Church Without Walls in Houston on March 15, 2025.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2025
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Sylvester Turner's signature
See also
In Spanish: Sylvester Turner para niños
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (2000–)
- List of members of the United States House of Representatives who served a single term
