Jim Turner (politician)
A Texas Democrat who navigated a conservative district for eight years, focusing on military and environmental issues in the House.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American politician·Birthday: February 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jim Turner carved a political path in the often-unforgiving terrain of East Texas, a lawyer who understood the local pulse well enough to win a U.S. House seat as a Democrat. He represented Texas's 2nd district from 1997 to 2005, a period marked by increasing partisan division. Turner, a moderate Democrat and U.S. Army veteran, found his niches on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, advocating for the military installations in his district and working on post-9/11 security measures. He also took a notable interest in environmental conservation, particularly the protection of national forests. His tenure ended not by electoral defeat, but by a controversial mid-decade redistricting plan engineered by Texas Republicans, which dramatically altered his district's boundaries. After leaving Congress, he returned to law and lobbying, his career a testament to a now-rare breed of pragmatic, district-focused Democrat who could hold ground in red-state America.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jim was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Jim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served four terms as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district from 1997 to 2005.
- Served on the powerful House Armed Services Committee, advocating for military interests in his district.
- Was a member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security following the September 11 attacks.
- Co-sponsored legislation aimed at conserving national forests and protecting wilderness areas.
Did You Know?
He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Before entering politics, he served as the City Attorney for Crockett, Texas.
He was one of the Democrats targeted by the Texas redistricting plan of 2003, known as the "Tom DeLay redistricting."
After Congress, he became a senior counsel at the law and lobbying firm Arnold & Porter.
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