Sylvester Turner
| Sylvester Turner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 62nd Mayor of Houston | |
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Assumed office January 2, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Annise Parker |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 139 | |
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In office January 10, 1989 – January 2, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Clit Hackney |
| Succeeded by | Jarvis Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 27, 1954 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Cheryl Turner (1983–1991; divorced) |
| Children | Ashley Paige Turner |
| Residence | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
University of Houston Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Website | Official website |
Sylvester Turner (born September 27, 1954) is an American Democratic politician who is currently mayor of Houston, Texas and previously was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 until 2016. He is Houston's second African American mayor. Turner 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, falling in third place and thus missing out on the runoff.
On February 20, 2015, Turner announced his candidacy for Houston mayor in the 2015 election. On October 11, the Houston Chronicle endorsed Sylvester Turner in the mayor's race. On December 12, 2015 he won the runoff election against Bill King by 4,082 votes out of 212,696 votes cast to become the mayor of Houston in the closest mayoral election in Houston history by percentage.
Turner was born on September 27, 1954 in Houston, Texas, as the sixth of nine children, and was raised in the Acres Homes community in northwest Houston by his father, a commercial painter, and his mother, a maid at the Rice Hotel. Turner was elected senior class president by his peers and awarded valedictorian of his graduating class from Klein High School. At the University of Houston he was Speaker of the Student Senate and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. degree in Political Science. In addition, Turner achieved a finalist position in the Ames Moot Court Competition while obtaining a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School. Turner is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
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