Turner Douglas was born on December 24, 1884 in Chester, South Carolina. Both of his parents were born in South Carolina as well.  

At twenty-one, Turner enlisted into the Army on February 3, 1904 in Middlesboro, Kentucky. At the time, he was working as a miner. He worked his way up to a Staff Sergeant and served in the Mexican-American War. In this rank, he was most likely responsible for training soldiers and leading unit missions. Turner was described as “very good” by the US Army Register of Enlistments. In 1910, Turner lived at Fort Ethan Allen with nine other enlisted men. Ten years later, Turner lived at the Fort Huachuca Military Reservation in Cochise, Arizona. At this time, he served in the 10th Cavalry, where he fought on horseback. There, he lived with Gus Williams and his wife, Julia P. Williams, and seven other Black soldiers who also served in the calvary. Ten years later, Turner moved out on his own within Fort Huachuca and was divorced. His enlistment record notes “continuous service” until his discharge on January 31, 1932. However, this would be his second discharge due to his prior discharge on February 9, 1907. 

Turner eventually moved to San Bernardino, California and then to Los Angeles California. At this time, he was remarried. He was, however, living with another lodger, Herman B. Looney, in the home of William Lenoir. Turner was 55 and not working, so he received his income from other sources. He passed away one year later on May 14, 1941 and is interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. 

 

This biography was researched and written by students as part of the Digital Veterans Legacy Project at Loyola Marymount University, funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Cemetery Administration. 

TURNER DOUGLAS

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34.06455907, -118.45793896

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