William H. Turner

William H. Turner (August 1, 1931 – November 1, 2002) was an African-American school board member and state senator from Miami, Florida. He was a pioneer of racial integration, serving as the first black school board member in Dade County, and a supporter of education in the Florida legislature.

Early life and career Turner was born in 1931, in the black community of Overtown in Miami. His parents died while he was young, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother.

He returned to Miami, where he worked as a police officer for a year before becoming an elementary school teacher in 1957. He served on the board until 1978, William H. Turner Technical Arts High School opened in Miami in 1993.

Turner's time on the Dade County School Board ended in 1992, when he decided to vacate his seat in order to run for the Florida Senate. was without an incumbent, because the previous senator, Carrie Meek, was running for U.S. Congress. Turner beat State Rep. James Burke by 25 votes in the Democratic primary, winning the seat. Turner spent one 4-year term in the senate, before being defeated by his predecessor's son, Kendrick Meek, in 1996.

Death and legacy Turner died in his sleep of natural causes in Miami on November 1, 2002.

Miami's William H Turner Technical Arts School is named for him.