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Turner, Sylvester https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/turner-sylvester

Sylvester Turner: Houston Mayor, Texas Legislator, and U.S. Representative Biography (1954–2025)

By: George Slaughter

Published: March 28, 2026

Updated: March 28, 2026

Sylvester Turner, attorney, Texas legislator, Houston mayor, and U.S. representative, was born on September 27, 1954, in Houston. His father, Eddie Turner, was a painter, and his mother, Ruby Mae (Lewis) Turner, a maid at the Rice Hotel. Turner grew up in a large family and was raised in the Acres Homes area in the northwest part of the city. He graduated in 1973 from Klein High School, where he was valedictorian. Turner earned his bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Houston in 1977 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1980. After law school, he returned to Houston and began practicing law at Fulbright and Jaworski before starting his own practice with Barry M. Barnes—Barnes and Turner—in 1983. On March 26, 1983, Sylvester Turner married Cheryl D. Gillum. They had a daughter, Ashley Paige, but divorced in 1996.

Turner had an interest in politics. His first campaign, in 1984 for Harris County commissioner, was unsuccessful. Four years later, he was elected as a Democrat to represent District 139 (Harris County) in the Texas House of Representatives. He served from January 10, 1989, to January 1, 2016. During his tenure he served on a number of committees, including the Energy Committee and Labor and Employment Relations Committee during his early years. He was a longtime member of the Calendars Committee, the State Affairs Committee (for which he served as vice chair in the Seventy-fourth through Seventy-seventh legislatures), and the Appropriations Committee (for which he served as vice chair in the Eighty-second through Eighty-fourth committees). He was appointed speaker pro tem in 2003 and served to 2009. He also chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and was on the Legislative Budget Board. An advocate for senior issues, Turner was honored with the AARP’s 2011 Legislative Leadership Award. He was also named one of Texas Monthly’s “Ten Best Legislators” for the Seventy-fifth and Eightieth legislative sessions. Turner spearheaded the Urban Youth Baseball Academy in his district. The baseball training facility was sponsored by Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros. His other honors included the Child Advocacy Award from the Texas Pediatric Society, Presidential Award of Merit from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, Open Government Award from the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, and Friends of Medicine Award from the Texas Medical Association.

Turner had sought the Houston mayoralty in 1991 and was one of three major candidates running in that election. The others were Mayor Kathy Whitmire, the incumbent, and Bob Lanier, a businessman and real estate developer. Turner and Lanier polled well enough to force a runoff, which Lanier won. But two television reports that aired before the runoff, by KTRK-TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino, raised questions about Turner’s role in an insurance scam. Turner felt the reports damaged his reputation, unfairly linked him to criminal activity, and cost him the election. He sued the station, but the initial judgment in his favor was appealed and reversed by the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals, which found no “clear and convincing evidence” of “actual malice.” Ultimately, the Texas Supreme Court affirmed the judgment and ruled for the station. Turner again ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003.

In 2015 Turner won the mayoralty on his third try, defeating former Kemah mayor Bill King. He won reelection in 2019 against attorney Tony Buzbee. As mayor, Turner is perhaps best remembered for his leadership in initiating reforms for a city pension crisis, as well as dealing with both Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. He also addressed transportation issues and dealt with the power outages of the winter storm of 2021. Turner left office in January 2024 under term limits. John Whitmire, a longtime state senator with whom Turner worked in the Texas legislature, became the new mayor.

Following the July 19, 2024, death of U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, Turner ran for her former congressional seat of the Eighteenth Congressional District and was elected. He was named to the committees of Homeland Security and Science, Space, and Technology. He continued in that role until his own death on March 5, 2025, in Washington, D. C. He was seventy years old. His body lied in state first at Houston City Hall and then at the Texas Capitol. His funeral had more than 1,000 attendees. Turner was buried in Paradise North Cemetery in Houston.

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Bibliography:

Houston Chronicle, December 15, 2019; March 5, 2025. Legislative Reference Library of Texas: Sylvester Turner (https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=247&searchparams=chamber=~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=sylvester~gender=~last=turner~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=), accessed March 24, 2026. Texas Observer, May 19, 1995. Texas Tribune, May 15, 2025. “TURNER, Sylvester,” History, Art & Archives, United States House of Representatives (https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/T/TURNER,-Sylvester-(T000489)/), accessed March 16, 2026.

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

George Slaughter, “Turner, Sylvester,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed April 11, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/turner-sylvester.

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Original Publication Date:
March 28, 2026
Most Recent Revision Date:
March 28, 2026

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