Sylvester Turner

Sylvester Turner was born on September 27, 1954, in Acres Homes, a community in northwest Houston, Texas. He was the second African American mayor of Houston, serving as the city's 62nd mayor from 2016 to 2024.

Turner passed away on March 5, 2025, at age 70 following enduring health complications. At the time of his death, he was serving as a U.S. Representative for Texas's 18th congressional district, having been elected to Congress after completing his mayoral tenure.

Education

Turner graduated from Klein High School in Klein, Texas. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and attended Harvard Law School for his legal education.

Political Experience

Legal Career
Turner began his legal career in the 1980s as a trial lawyer at Fulbright & Jaworski, a Houston-based law firm. In 1983, he co-founded Barnes & Turner, a law firm specializing in commercial and personal injury litigation. He also served as an instructor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, South Texas College of Law, and the University of Houston Law School's continuing legal education program.

State Legislature
Turner was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1988, representing District 139 in Northwest Houston. He served for 27 years until his election as mayor. During his tenure in the state legislature, he worked on the House Appropriations Committee for 21 years and served as Speaker Pro Tem for three terms. He also served on the Legislative Budget Board and participated in several Budget Conference Committees to help balance the state's budget.

Mayor of Houston
Turner was elected mayor in December 2015 after two previous unsuccessful mayoral campaigns . He was re-elected in December 2019. As mayor, Turner's notable achievements included:

• Spearheading Houston's pension reform, reducing financial liabilities by billions
• Leading the city through Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
• Addressing power outages during the winter storm of 2021
• Launching Houston's Climate Action Plan, committing to carbon neutrality by 2050
• Creating the Hire Houston Youth program, which provided over 20,000 jobs to young adults
• Implementing the One Safe Houston initiative to address violent crime and mental health services
• Championing the Complete Communities initiative to revitalize historically underserved neighborhoods
• Serving as Chair of U.S. Climate Mayors

Congressional Service
Following his mayoral tenure, Turner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas's 18th congressional district. He served in Congress until his death in 2025.