Glenn Patterson Turner (May 4, 1889 – July 10, 1975) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

from

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

who served one term as a

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Background

Turner was born on May 4, 1889, in

Stockbridge, Wisconsin Stockbridge is a village in Calumet County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 678 at the 2020 census. The village lies within the Town of Stockbridge. History Stockbridge is known as "The Sturgeon Capital of the World," and was ...

. He attended the

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

of the various places where his father served as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister. He became interested in

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

as a boy, through the influence of his

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

teacher, a German Americans, German

iron moulder A moldmaker (mouldmaker in English-speaking countries other than the US) or molder (moulder) is a skilled tradesperson who fabricates ''molds'' (or ''moulds'') for use in casting metal products. Moldmakers are generally employed in foundries, w ...

, who started him reading Socialist literature. He joined the Socialist Party as soon as he was permitted to join (the age of 18). He graduated in 1909 from North Division High School (Milwaukee), and attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...

, and was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1916. He then returned to Milwaukee to practice. Later in life he was a strong proponent of

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

. He died on July 10, 1975, at a nursing home in

Black Earth, Wisconsin Black Earth is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,493 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Black Earth. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History In 1851, t ...

Legislature

Turner was elected to the Assembly in 1916 to succeed fellow Socialist Frank J. Weber, receiving 3,054 votes against 2,067 for S. A. Heiden ( Republican) and 1038 for A. E. Wanda (

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

). He was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

on the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

. He did not run for re-election in 1918, but was succeeded by fellow Socialist and lawyer Edwin Knappe, who like Turner was a member of the law firm of Kleist, Harriman & Knappe.

Attorney General campaign

In 1930, Turner was the Socialist candidate for

state Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the District of Columbia, federal district, or of any of the Territories of the United States, territories is the chief legal advisor to the State governments of the United States, sta ...

; he came in third in a five-way race, with 6.4% of the vote (35,169 out of 551,563).

State supreme court campaigns

Turner unsuccessfully ran for seats on the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

and

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

Governor campaign

Turner unsuccessfully ran for

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Glenn P. People from Stockbridge, Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers 1889 births 1975 deaths North Division High School (Milwaukee) alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature