Sylvester Turner was remembered Wednesday as a native son of Houston who rose from a small house in Acres Homes to eventually lead the city through trials and triumphs as a state legislator, mayor and member of Congress.
The Democratic congressman never forgot his roots during his nearly 35-year career as an elected official from Houston, friends and colleagues said, proving a tireless advocate for the city and for the historically overlooked neighborhoods that raised him, in particular.
A graduate of Harvard Law School, a bipartisan-minded fiscal hawk in the Texas Legislature, a leader through disasters as mayor and an elder statesman in Congress, Turner’s long life impacted millions of Houstonians, Mayor John Whitmire said Wednesday when announcing his predecessor’s death.
He was 70 years old.
News of Turner’s passing trickled into City Hall Wednesday morning shortly before the beginning of City Council’s regularly scheduled weekly meeting, coming as a shock to many of his former colleagues.
“I don’t have anything eloquent to say. I am heartbroken,” District F Councilmember Tiffany Thomas said through tears from the council dais.
Tuesday evening, Turner attended President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, even being interviewed by news media as he advocated against Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid shortly before the speech began. Turner was taken to the hospital during the address and later released, according to a statement from his family.
He died around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday “from enduring health complications,” the statement said.
“Congressman Turner was the consummate public servant,” the statement read. “But to us, he was our beloved father, grandfather, sibling and relative. Thank you for your prayers.”
Turner secretly underwent treatment for bone cancer in 2022. He announced he was cancer-free following surgery and treatment that resulted in the loss and reconstruction of a portion of his left jawbone. He said he had largely recovered from the disease during his 2024 campaign for Congress.
Turner’s speech had noticeably been affected in recent appearances, although that did not stop him from traveling between Houston and Washington. This past Saturday, Turner rode in the Houston Rodeo Parade.
The Democrat’s death leaves the 18th Congressional District seat vacant for the second time in a year due to a death. It will need to be filled in a special election later this year.
Information about funeral services is forthcoming, according to the family’s statement.
‘A true Houstonian’
Turner was born in the northwest Houston neighborhood of Acres Homes in 1954 to Ruby Mae Turner and Eddie Turner. His father died when he was 13.
Ruby Mae, a maid at the Rice Hotel in downtown Houston, pushed the former mayor to continue his education and follow his ambitions, he said on Facebook in 2019.
“She was our foundation, and I will never forget the sacrifices she made in order for her nine children to succeed,” Turner said on Instagram in 2023. “Each day I take a moment to remember her and the investments she made in me and others.”
The sixth of nine children, Turner went on to become valedictorian at Klein High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Houston in 1977 and earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1980.
He also was a proud father to Ashley Turner-Captain and grandfather to Jamison.
“One of the greatest joys of my life was being chosen to be @ashleyturnercapitan’s father,” Turner said on Instagram Jan. 29 for his daughter’s birthday. “She always finds a way to light up any room. She always finds a way to bring her style and laughter. She is an incredible mother and the best for her is yet to come.”
Emotions ran high at City Hall Wednesday morning after the news of Turner’s death broke. Those present, from elected officials to security guards to city staff, talked about Turner’s legacy, calling him a true Houstonian.
Whitmire offered his condolences at the start of the meeting, saying he and Turner were personal friends who respected and advised one another through each of their long political careers. The pair served together in the Texas Legislature for decades prior to their respective mayoral careers.
He called Turner a “remarkable public servant” that impacted millions of people. Turner “never forgot where he came from” in Houston, Whitmire said, and always worked to better his community.
“He was a public servant right up until he took his last breath,” Whitmire said. He and Turner continuously supported each other, he said, and were there for the births of each other’s children.
Flags will be lowered to half staff at City Hall in honor of Turner, Whitmire said.
Council members reflected on their time serving with Turner in city government, some complimenting his ability to spar and disagree with them around the dais without taking it personally.
Others choked up, openly crying over the loss of their former colleague and personal friend.
“I’m going to miss his laughter. I’m going to miss his corny jokes. I’m going to miss it all,” Thomas said. No one did more for her district residents, she added. “When I’d call him at midnight, he would answer the phone.”
District K Councilmember Martha Castex-Tatum called Turner a friend and mentor. She recalled how Turner went through cancer treatment and still came to City Council meetings, even when his colleagues urged him to care for himself.
“When he was sick, my mom made him some soup, and he called and said ‘Tell your mom that soup saved my life.’ So, y’all know my mom was happy about that soup,” Castex-Tatum said.
Tributes from colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress and the Texas Legislature poured in via social media and press statements.
Gov. Greg Abbott, with whom Turner sometimes clashed, called him “a man of character who served his fellow Texans for more than 36 years.
“From his time as state representative, to mayor of Houston, and finally representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District, Congressman Turner leaves behind a legacy of service to our great state. Congressman Turner will be missed, and our prayers go out to his family and loved ones during this time.”
A new congressman
Turner proudly noted in public appearances that he was representing his childhood neighborhood as a member of Congress.
Turner easily won the 18th Congressional District seat last November, swamping Republican newcomer Lana Centonze for the Democratic stronghold.
He succeeded friend and ally Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who held the seat for 30 years before her death last July from pancreatic cancer. Turner had promised to continue Jackson Lee’s work in Washington, cruising to victory in the November election with the endorsement of her family.
He overcame concerns about his age and health during the campaign by promising to serve a maximum of two terms and be a “bridge” candidate to a younger generation of Houston leaders.
Abbott can call a special election to fill the congressional seat for the remainder of the unexpired term, which runs through 2026. There is no deadline in state law for the election to be called, but it must be held on the first uniform election date 36 days after the special election is ordered.
Abbott is unlikely to be in a hurry to hold an election in the heavily Democratic district. The vacancy increases the GOP majority in the House to five members, giving Congressional Republicans slightly more wiggle room in the ongoing budget reconciliation debate of Trump’s priorities.
During his two months in Congress, the Trump administration largely defined Turner’s work. He hosted multiple “know your rights” forums in his district to educate immigrants about their rights under federal law in response to the president’s mass deportation plans. He also joined criminal justice reform efforts, reintroducing a bipartisan bill to prevent people in pretrial detention from losing access to Medicaid.
Turner was not in the House of Representatives long enough to have any real power, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston. Still, his tenure was important to residents in District 18.
He was meant to be a stabilizing figure for the community, Rottinghaus said. A familiar face who would bridge the gap between older and younger generations of political leaders.
It seemed at the time of his congressional election that District 18 was not yet ready to fully embrace that younger leadership, but Rottinghaus said Turner’s death may serve as a transitional moment for the community.
Turner served in the Texas House of Representatives for 27 years before becoming mayor of Houston from 2016 until 2024. All together, Turner represented the city in elected office for nearly 35 years.
Community involvement
Turner first ran for mayor in 1991, resulting in one of the most contentious races in Houston’s history after KTRK Channel 13 ran what later was revealed to be a false story questioning his role in a life insurance scam days before a runoff. He lost the runoff to Bob Lanier.
All the while, Turner made a name for himself as an effective, bipartisan legislator. A member of the Appropriations Committee, Turner would use an abacus as a prop on the House floor to drive home his points during budget debates.
He ran again for mayor, unsuccessfully, in 2003. It was not until 2015 that Houston elected him mayor where he would serve eight years and lead the city through a series of natural disasters, most prominently Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I called him the trauma mayor,” said Nancy Sims, a local political consultant. She called Turner’s death a “loss of a great and dedicated public servant for Houston and Texas.”
Sims, who first met Turner when he was a community organizer in the 1980s, said his entire political career had been defined by commitment to his constituents.
The late congressman, she said, was happiest when he could be out in the community, line dancing with senior citizens, or participating in events like the Rodeo Parade.
“He really thrived the best when he was out among the people,” Sims said
Turner’s leadership during times of disaster stood out most to former Harris County District Clerk Chris Daniel.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Daniel, a Republican, said Turner was there to help his family, particularly his mother who was dealing with six feet of water in her home. Despite being on opposing political sides, Turner made sure resources were available for rescue and repair of her home. Daniel lost count of the number of times Turner checked in on his mother after Harvey.
“When all the cameras are off and everybody’s kind of had their political moment, he genuinely cared and followed up,” Daniel said Wednesday.
Turner also offered him jobs with the city and potential aid for starting a business, all offers which Daniel turned down.
“I was forever thankful for just him stepping out on a ledge when he didn’t have to,” Daniel added.
Turner championed pension reform, efforts to curb homelessness and police reform throughout his two terms. He had a rancorous and sometimes litigious relationship with the Houston firefighters union over a years-long failure to negotiate a new contract. Whitmire and the union came to terms under a contract and backpay settlement last May that will cost about $1.5 billion.
At his last state of the city address in 2023, Turner highlighted the success of his administration’s infrastructure investments in Houston, including a new solid waste transfer station in northeast Houston, the realignment of Interstate 45 and $2 billion in planned improvements for the George R. Brown Convention Center.
He was routinely lauded by community activists who felt he was involved in their neighborhoods and invited them to participate in local government, and he spearheaded initiatives specifically to connect with historically underserved areas of the city. That came in the form of numerous efforts to improve transportation options across the sprawling city, including the addition of new bike paths and support for METRO’s $3.5 billion bond election in 2019 intended to expand the system.
“People want to see you in their neighborhood. People want to see you at their events,” he said at his final state of the city address. “You have to embrace that diversity, and people have to feel as though you are embracing that diversity.”
Rottinghaus said Turner had a unique ability to build coalitions. He was able to navigate partisan differences both in the statehouse and at city hall, while still holding fast to the issues he championed.
“He was political glue,” Rottinghaus said.
City finances were at the heart of much of Turner’s work in the mayor’s office. His crowning achievement from his first term was a state law he championed to his old friends at the legislature to address Houston’s rising pension debt. However, the city’s frequent disasters served to only deepen the budget deficit while a fight over firefighters’ pay dragged on for years, leading to a large backpay settlement last year.
He leaned into Houston’s strong-mayor form of government, frequently sparring with political adversaries on City Council and some interest groups.
As mayor, Whitmire routinely has said he “inherited a mess” from Turner’s administration: pointing to the long-awaited deal with the firefighter’s union, police officer retention and use of federal funds allocated under Turner.
Reactions and condolences from other Houston-area officials flooded in Wednesday morning.
“We The People are all better off because you chose to dedicate yourself to a life of public service,” Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis wrote in a statement. “You also advanced the continuous struggle to make this nation as good as its promise of freedom and justice for all.”
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee noted Turner’s “relentless advocacy” for Houston and said his legacy will extend well beyond his life.
“To those of us who served alongside him, he was more than a leader — he was a mentor. He taught us to stand tall, hold our heads high, and walk into any room with confidence, knowing we belonged. But most of all, he was a friend. He answered every call. He encouraged and affirmed you. He told you when you could do better. He gave you a microphone and pushed you to lead,” Menefee wrote.
Reporters Akhil Ganesh and Tim Carlin contributed to this story.
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