Sylvester Turner
Sylvester Turner (born September 27, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who was the 62nd mayor of Houston, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, Turner was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 until 2016. He attended the University of Houston and Harvard Law School. Turner ran for mayor of Houston in 1991, losing in the runoff election to Bob Lanier. He lost again in 2003, coming in third and thus missing the runoff.
Sylvester Turner | |
|---|---|
| 62nd Mayor of Houston | |
| In office January 2, 2016 – January 1, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Annise Parker |
| Succeeded by | John Whitmire |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 139th district | |
| In office January 10, 1989 – January 1, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Clint Hackney |
| Succeeded by | Jarvis Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 27, 1954 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Cheryl Turner
(m. 1983; div. 1991) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Houston (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
Turner won the 2015 election, defeating Bill King in the runoff by 4,082 votes out of 212,696 votes cast in the closest mayoral election in Houston history by percentage.
On December 14, 2019, Turner won his second term as mayor over the more conservative Tony Buzbee, 56-44 percent in a turn out of less than 20 percent of registered voters.