Sylvester Turner, a former mayor of Houston who was sworn into office in January, has passed away. He was a former mayor and a veteran of Texas politics, serving in the State Legislature, as well as a U.S. representative, before breaking rank at the Capitol Hill. He was 70 and made significant inroads on his colleagues, particularly after being taken to a hospital after his speech on Tuesday.
Automated等工作 scoped from his return home to the hospital following his speech in Washington to his eventual passing. He was a Democrat and a former TU Re-Line candidate, known for his fiery partisan speeches and the ability to cross the aisle and bring up issues like public health care access and immigration reform.
Turner grew up in Houston, with his father as a painter and his mother as a housekeeper. He attended Houston High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Houston, followed by a law degree from Harvard. He returned to Houston to work as a trial lawyer, starting with an established firm and then with his own firm, Barnes & Turner, specializing in commercial law and personal injury litigation. He married Cheryl Turner and later divorceed, with his daughter Ashley Turner-Captain as a survivor.
Turner’s career has been marked by kingdoms of progressive parties and geopolitical tensions, but he displayed a reputation for work across the aisle and fighting issues like health care for Houstonians, as well as standing up for his family and friends to support President Barack Obama during his terms as mayor. His auditor career was one of numerous triumphs, though he faced challenges in leadership positions that required time to build, such as his campaign for mayor in 2015.
His legacy is one of continued advocacy for public services, including his fraught interactions with media outlets like the Dallas Morning News. He returned home to Houston, a crucial step in his journey, but his decision not to evacuate during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 remains akenable of critique, further highlighting his commitment to community relief.
Turner will be deeply missed by his peers, colleagues, and the Houston community.
