Charles Wesley Turnbull
{{Short description|United States Virgin Islands politician (1935–2022)}}
{{Sources|date=December 2010}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Charles Turnbull
|image = Cropped Photo of Charles W Turnbull with Albert Bryant.jpg
| image_size=220px
|caption = Turnbull in 2019
|order = 6th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
|lieutenant = Gerard Luz James
Vargrave Richards
|term_start = January 4, 1999
|term_end = January 1, 2007
|predecessor = Roy Schneider
|successor = John de Jongh
|office1 = Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Education
|governor1 =
|term_start1 = 1979
|term_end1 = 1987
|successor1 = Linda Creque
|birth_name = Charles Wesley Turnbull
|birth_date = {{birth date|1935|2|5}}
|birth_place = St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2022|7|3|1935|2|5}}
|death_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.
|party = Democratic
|education = {{ublist|Hampton University (BA, MA)|University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (PhD)}}
}}
Charles Wesley Turnbull (February 5, 1935 – July 3, 2022) was an American politician, educator and historian who served as the sixth elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1999 to 2007.{{cite book|last=Wright|first=John|title=The New York Times Almanac 2002|year=2001|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-57958-348-4|pages=210|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G81HonU81pAC&pg=PA210}}
Biography
Charles Wesley Turnbull was born on February 6, 1935, in the island of St. Thomas to John Wesley Turnbull and Ruth Ann Eliza Skelton of Tortola.{{cite book|title=The International Who's Who 2004|year=2003|publisher=Europa Publications|isbn=1-85743-217-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/internationalwho2004ond/page/1888 1888]|url=https://archive.org/details/internationalwho2004ond|url-access=registration|quote=1935 Charles Wesley Turnbull}}{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Turnbull, Charles Wesley |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/turnbull-charles-wesley |access-date=2022-07-14 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com|publisher=Cengage}} Prior to being elected governor in 1998, he was a professor at the University of the Virgin Islands, Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of the territorial Department of Education, principal and assistant principal of Charlotte Amalie High School, and a teacher in elementary and secondary schools. He was a graduate of Hampton University, earning bachelor's and master's degrees. He earned a doctoral degree in Educational Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1976.{{cite news|title=AS GOVERNORS GO, VENTURA OUT FRONT IN FIRST IMPRESSIONS|newspaper=Duluth News|date=November 13, 1998|page=1B}}
During his tenure as governor, Turnbull served as a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association.{{cite web|url= https://www.nga.org/governor/charles-w-turnbull/ |title=Gov. Charles W. Turnbull |website=National Governors Association}}
Turnbull was prohibited from seeking re-election in 2006 due to term limits. His term of office expired on January 1, 2007, and he was succeeded by John de Jongh. Turnbull served as a member of the Virgin Islands Fifth Constitutional Convention.
Post-gubernatorial career
In 2011, the 29th Legislature passed a resolution naming the Estate Tutu Regional Library after him. Turnbull was awarded with the Virgin Islands Medal of Honor.{{cite web|url=https://stjohnsource.com/2011/03/07/new-library-honor-former-gov-turnbull/ |title= New Library to Honor Former Gov. Turnbull |website=St. John Source}}
From 2015 to 2017, Turnbull served as a member of the Centennial Commission.{{cite web|url= https://wp.viconsortium.com/?p=16957 |title=Mapp Appoints Turnbull To Centennial Commission |website=The Virgin Islands Consortium}}
Personal life
Turnbull died from a brief illness in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2022, at the age of 87.{{Cite news |last=Ananta Pancham July |first=Judi Shimel |date=2022-07-04 |title=Territory Mourns the Loss of Former Gov. Charles W. Turnbull |url=https://stthomassource.com/content/2022/07/04/territory-mourns-the-loss-of-former-gov-charles-w-turnbull/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |newspaper=St. Thomas Source |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Derek Hodge}}
{{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands|years=1998, 2002}}
{{s-aft|after=John de Jongh}}
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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Roy Schneider}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor of the United States Virgin Islands|years=1999–2007}}
{{s-aft|after=John de Jongh}}
{{s-end}}
{{Governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turnbull, Charles Wesley}}
Category:20th-century African-American politicians
Category:21st-century African-American politicians
Category:African-American politicians
Category:American people of British Virgin Islands descent
Category:Democratic Party governors of the United States Virgin Islands
Category:Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands politicians
Category:Governors of the United States Virgin Islands
Category:Hampton University alumni
Category:People from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Category:United States Virgin Islands educators
Category:United States Virgin Islands Methodists
Category:University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni
Category:University of the Virgin Islands faculty
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