Former Houston mayor and current 18th District Congressman Sylvester Turner has passed away. He was 70.
Turner, who was in Washington, D.C. for Tuesday night’s Presidential State of the Union, died late Tuesday night while being treated at a hospital.
Current Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Turner was working in Washington and was taken to the hospital when he passed.
“This comes as a shock to everyone,” Whitmire said. “I would ask Houstonians to come together, pray for his family, join us in celebrating this remarkable public servant, celebrate his life, which we will be doing.”
A long-time champion of Houston and its citizens, the Acres Homes native was a staple in Texas politics. In 1988, Turner was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in House District 139 in Harris County and remained in office until 2016. Turner then served for eight years as Houston’s 62nd mayor until 2024.
Turner successfully ran for the congressional seat vacated after legendary Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee passed away this past November. Turner took office in January.
Turner served more than 25 years in the Texas House of Representatives, during which time he was a member of the Legislative Budget Board, Vice-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman of the Subcommittee of Articles 1, 4 & 5 (General Government, Judiciary, Public Safety & Criminal Justice), and the House State Affairs Committee.
Turner also chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Greater Houston Area Legislative Delegation. Turner supported policies to attract doctors to underserved areas, proposed a measure to increase state funding for mental health services in Harris County from $32 million to $200 million, and worked to increase funds for legal aid for poor Texans.
“No one will be able to step into Sylvester’s shoes and carry on his duties because there’s only one Sylvester Turner growing up in Acres Home in poverty,” Whitmire added. “He was so proud of his family, his mother being a housekeeper at the Rice Hotel, his father a laborer, a two-bedroom house.”
Turner was born and raised in Houston and attended the University of Houston and Harvard Law School.
The Houston Defender interviewed Turner about his vision for his districts days before his demise.
This is a developing story and updates will be made as information becomes available.
