SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 258
In Memory
of
Sylvester Turner
WHEREAS, The life of an esteemed lawmaker and public
servant drew to a close with the passing of the Honorable
Sylvester Turner on March 5, 2025, at the age of 70; and
WHEREAS, Congressman Turner's monumental career
encompassed service as a state legislator, as the mayor of
Houston, and as a member of the United States House of
Representatives, and the ideals that guided all of his work
were forged in the Bayou City's Acres Homes neighborhood,
where he was raised; born on September 27, 1954, he shared a
two-bedroom house with his parents and eight siblings in his
early years; while watching the Kennedy-Nixon debates with
his family as a small boy, he resolved to become a lawyer and
public servant, beginning his lifelong commitment to helping
others; his father, a commercial painter, died when he was
just 13, and his mother continued to support the family as a
housekeeper at the Rice Hotel; although neither of his parents
received a diploma, he became student body president and
valedictorian at Klein High School, and he went on to graduate
from the University of Houston and Harvard Law School; and
WHEREAS, Congressman Turner began his career as a trial
lawyer with the Fulbright & Jaworski firm and later cofounded
Barnes & Turner, a practice focused on commercial law and
personal injury litigation; in addition, he taught at the
Texas Southern UniversityThurgoodMarshallSchool ofLaw,at
the South Texas College of Law, and in the University of
Houston Law School continuing legal education program; and
WHEREAS, First elected to the Texas House of
Representatives in 1988, Congressman Turner was returned to
office 13 times and served three terms as speaker pro tempore;
he helped shape fiscal policy during more than two decades on
the House Appropriations Committee and multiple terms as
chair of its Subcommittee on Criminal Justice; moreover, he
distinguished himself in his duties as a member of the
Legislative Budget Board and as chair of the Texas Legislative
Black Caucus and the Greater Houston Area Legislative
Delegation; known for his eloquence and his ability to work
across the aisle, he secured passage of such important
legislation as a 2007 children's health insurance measure; his
passion for health care, education, human services, consumer
rights, and juvenile justice earned him recognition as "the
conscience of the House"; and
WHEREAS, Congressman Turner was elected to the first of
two terms as Houston mayor in 2015; he guided the city through
a period of unprecedented challenges, among them Hurricane
Harvey and six other federally declared disasters, as well as
the COVID-19 pandemic; early in his tenure, he strengthened
finances by crafting a solution for the mounting pension debt
crisis; he also promoted sustainability, bolstering the
city's status as the energy capital of the world; addressing
violent crime and mental health, he launched the One Safe
Houston initiative, and other important programs included
Hire Houston Youth, One Clean Houston, and Complete
Communities, which fostered economic advancement through
revitalization of underserved areas; in addition to his other
responsibilities, heprovidednationalleadership inurban
policy as chair of the Global Resilient Cities Network,
Climate Mayors, and the African American Mayors Association,
and he was a trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and
WHEREAS, In 2024, citizens elected him to Congress to
represent the historically significant 18th Congressional
District, and he served as a member of the Homeland Security
and the Science, Space, and Technology Committees; during his
time in office, he maintained the incomparable work ethic and
whirlwind pace that defined his entire career, devoting
himself to the lawmaking process, staying in close touch with
constituents, and participating in numerous neighborhood and
community-wide events in Houston; he also set aside time to
attend the Church Without Walls, where he worshipped for well
over three decades, and he rarely missed a Sunday service,
even while undergoing cancer treatment; he was a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and remained a
proud Acres Homes resident; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated to bridging divisions and creating
vibrant communities for all, Sylvester Turner demonstrated
visionary leadership that greatly benefited the city of
Houston and the wider State of Texas, and his legacy will
continue to inspire all those who seek to follow in his
footsteps; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature
hereby honor the memory of Congressman Sylvester Turner and
extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
daughter, Ashley Turner Captain, and her husband, Jimmie; to
his grandson, Jameson Captain; and to his other relatives and
many friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
this day, it do so in memory of Congressman Turner.
Miles
Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
Bettencourt Hall Middleton Bettencourt Hall Middleton
Bettencourt Hall Middleton
Birdwell Hancock Nichols Birdwell Hancock Nichols
Birdwell Hancock Nichols
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
Cook Huffman Perry Cook Huffman Perry
Cook Huffman Perry
Creighton Hughes Schwertner Creighton Hughes Schwertner
Creighton Hughes Schwertner
Eckhardt Johnson Sparks Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
Flores King West Flores King West
Flores King West
Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini
Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini
Patrick, President of the Senate
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 13, 2025, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate
Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
Bettencourt Hall Middleton
Birdwell Hancock Nichols
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
Cook Huffman Perry
Creighton Hughes Schwertner
Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
Flores King West
Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini