Former Houston Mayor and U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner has died at the age of 70, following a long career in public service that spanned decades in both local and state government
Born on September 27, 1954, Turner has dedicated much of his life to public service, with a strong focus on advocacy for the people of Houston and Texas.
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Raised in Houston, Turner attended the University of Houston and later graduated from Harvard Law School. Early in his career, Turner practiced law, founding his own firm, Barnes & Turner, in 1983. He also served as an adjunct professor and lecturer at several law schools.
Political career
Turner’s political career began in 1989 when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives for District 139, a position he would hold for nearly three decades. As a member of the Legislative Budget Board and Vice-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, he worked to ensure that Texas’ budget reflected the needs of all Texans.
Despite early setbacks in the Houston mayoral races of 1991 and 2003, Turner was elected Mayor of Houston in 2015, after a heated runoff against Bill King. His second term came in 2019 when he secured victory against Tony Buzbee.
In 2024, following the death of longtime U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, Turner announced his candidacy for Texas’s 18th congressional district. He won the Democratic primary and was elected to Congress in November 2024.
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