Roy J. Turner
| Roy Joseph Turner | |
|---|---|
| 13th Governor of Oklahoma | |
|
In office January 13, 1947 – January 8, 1951 |
|
| Lieutenant | James E. Berry |
| Preceded by | Robert S. Kerr |
| Succeeded by | Johnston Murray |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 6, 1894 Lincoln County, Oklahoma |
| Died | June 11, 1973 (aged 78) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Resting place | Rose Hill Burial Park 35°31′53″N 97°32′12.8″W / 35.53139°N 97.536889°W |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jessica E. Grimm |
| Children |
|
| Profession | businessman |
| Religion | Methodism |
Roy Joseph Turner (November 6, 1894 – June 11, 1973) was an American businessman and governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Born in 1894, in Oklahoma Territory, he served in World War I, became a prominent businessman and eventually became the 13th governor of Oklahoma.
As governor, Turner helped establish the state turnpike system and college board of regents and oversaw the end of segregation in Oklahoma's higher education system. He is buried in Oklahoma City.
Turner was born on November 6, 1894, near Kendrick in Lincoln County, Oklahoma Territory. Upon completion of his high school education, he attended Hill's Business College in Oklahoma City. He was a bookkeeper for Morris Parking Company in Oklahoma City from 1911–1915 and a salesman for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company there. He married Jessica E. Grimm in 1937 and they adopted two children, Roy William and Betty Juanita Turner Adams.
After his service as a private in the United States Army during World War I, Turner was a dealer in real estate, principally in Oklahoma, Florida and Texas. By 1928, He organized the Harper-Turner Oil Company and established the 10,000 acre Turner Ranch at Sulphur, Oklahoma; 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 Oklahoma 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.
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