Roy Joseph Turner (November 6, 1894 – June 11, 1973) was an American businessman and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. Born in 1894, in

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...

, he served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, became a prominent businessman and eventually served as the 13th

governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...

from 1947 to 1951. As

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, Turner helped establish the state turnpike system and college board of regents. He oversaw the end of

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

in Oklahoma's higher education system. He is buried in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

Early life

Turner was born on November 6, 1894, near

Kendrick Kendrick may refer to: *Kendrick (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Places United States *Kendrick, Florida *Kendrick, Idaho *Kendrick, Oklahoma Schools *Kendrick School, in Reading, Berkshire, England, United King ...

.Vaughn-Roberson, Courtney Anne. "Roy Joseph Turner Governor of Oklahoma, 1947-1951". Fischer, LeRoy H., ed., ''Oklahoma's Governors, 1929-1955: Depression to Prosperity'' (Oklahoma Historical Society, 1983), pp 150-172. Upon completion of his high school education, he attended Hill's Business College in

. He was a bookkeeper for Morris Parking Company in

City from 1911 to 1915 and a salesman for the

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...

there. He married Jessica E. Grimm in 1937 and they adopted two children.

Career

After his service as a private in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

, Turner was a dealer in real estate, principally in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. By 1928, He organized the Harper-Turner Oil Company and established the 10,000 acre Turner Ranch at

Sulphur, Oklahoma Sulphur is a city in and county seat of Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,065 at the 2020 census, a 2.8 percent gain over the figure of 4,929 in 2010. The area around Sulphur has been noted for its mineral springs, s ...

; but he maintained a residence in Oklahoma City where he served on the local school board from 1939 to 1946. Turner fought and won a bitter campaign battle in 1946 against Tulsa County prosecutor Dixie Gilmer to win the gubernatorial election. His term as governor of

was from January 13, 1947, to January 8, 1951, during which the State Highway Department and the State Planning and Resources Board were reorganized; the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority was established; a Board of Regents for State Colleges was created; and segregation in higher education was ended in the state. Turner and the Oklahoma Legislature produced a budget in his first year that increased appropriations by $29 million over the previous two years while reducing the income tax by a third. State mental institutions received double their allotment for the previous two years. From July 14–18, 1949, he appeared on several radio and TV programs in New York City, including ''

Toast of the Town ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Nig ...

'', to promote his single, "My Memory Trail", released on the Beacon Music label. Turner appeared as himself in the 1951 film, ''

Jim Thorpe – All-American ''Jim Thorpe – All-American'' (UK title: ''Man of Bronze'') is a 1951 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, the great Native American athlete who won medals at the 1912 Olympics and d ...

''.

Death and legacy

Turner lived in Oklahoma City until his death June 11, 1973, and is interred in Rose Hill Burial Park, Oklahoma City. The 88-mile

Turner Turnpike The Turner Turnpike is a controlled-access toll road in central Oklahoma, connecting its two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1947 and opened in May 1953, it is the oldest of the state's twelve ...

, a section of Interstate 44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, was named for Turner in commemoration of efforts during his administration that led to the construction of the toll road between the state's two largest cities. The turnpike opened to traffic in 1953, two years after his term as governor ended.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard

Oklahoma Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Roy J. 1894 births 1973 deaths American military personnel of World War I Democratic Party governors of Oklahoma American salespeople People from Lincoln County, Oklahoma People from Sulphur, Oklahoma Politicians from Oklahoma City 20th-century Oklahoma politicians Businesspeople from Oklahoma City Southern Methodists American United Methodists 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century Methodists Democratic National Committee treasurers