John P. Turner

John Patrick Turner (November 1, 1895 – September 14, 1958) was an African American physician, surgeon, hospital administrator, and educator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was chief of the surgical department and staff president of Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital and Training School, later Mercy-Douglass Hospital, in Philadelphia. Turner was the first Black member of the Philadelphia Board of Education, serving in that capacity for 35 years. He was also the medical inspector of Philadelphia's public schools for nineteen years.

Early life Turner was born on November 1, 1885, in Raleigh, North Carolina. His parents were Jennie Virginia and Jesse Edward Turner. He attended public schools in Raleigh. In October 1914, Turner spoke to the International Congress of Home Education at its convention in Philadelphia.

In 1921, Turner published the book ''Ringworm and Its Successful Treatment. He became the first Black police surgeon of Philadelphia in 1931 and continued in this capacity for twenty years. In this capacity, he advocated for smaller class sizes, modern equipment, more adequate classroom supplies, and for public education to start with kindergarten.

Also in 1935, he became the chief of the surgical department of Douglass Hospital.

Personal life Turner married Marion Carmiencita Harris of Washington, D.C. in 1908. They lived at 1705 W. Jefferson Street in Philadelphia.

Turner served on the board of directors of the Sesquicentennial Exposition of 1926. In 1935, he joined the board of directors of the Metropolitan Y.M.C.A. in Philadelphia and served as vice president of the National Council of the Y.M.C.A. in 1947. He served on the Recreation Board of Philadelphia, the executive board of the Philadelphia Council of Boy Scouts, the board of directors of the Community Chest of Pennsylvania, the board of the Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System, and was a member of the Philadelphia Welfare Commission. He was chairman of the Crime Prevention Association and vice president of the Police Athletic League. He was a trustee of Shaw University, Cheyney State College, Berean School in Philadelphia.

He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi. He was also a 33rd-degree Mason and a charter member of Richard Allen Lodge No. 30, F. and A. M. He was a trustee of the Allen A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia for 45 years.

Turner died of prostate cancer on September 14, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 72.