Ralph Turlington

Turlington was born in Gainesville, Florida in 1920. Turlington was in the inaugural class of the P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School, where he was a distinguished alumni, graduating in 1938. He attended the University of Florida, where he was also a distinguished alumni, to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in business and Harvard University for his master's degree in the same field.{{cite web |date=October 5, 1920 |title=Ralph D. Turlington Papers |url=http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/turlington.htm |accessdate=December 9, 2012 |website=UF Special and Area Studies Collections}}

After completing his education, Turlington was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army with the Third Army the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. After the war, he worked at the University of Florida. In 1947, he became a faculty member of Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity.Alpha Phi chapter of AKPsi membership roll He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Florida in 1968.{{cite web|url=http://www.uff.ufl.edu/facilities/facilities.asp?id=103 |title=University of Florida Foundation |publisher=Uff.ufl.edu |date=January 3, 2011 |accessdate=December 9, 2012}}

He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1950 for Alachua County.{{cite web |url=http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/FileStores/Web/HouseContent/Approved/Public%20Guide/Uploads/Documents/house_counties_final.pdf |title=Membership of the Florida House of Representatives by County, 1845-2012 |author=Ward, Robert L. / Florida House of Representatives |year=2011 |publisher= |accessdate=December 11, 2011}} He would serve until 1974, eventually also serving as speaker from 1967 to 1969. He was the Florida Commissioner of Education from 1974 to 1987. He was elected to Constitutional office in Florida more times than any other person in the history of Florida. Following his service as Commissioner of Education, Turlington joined the American College Testing Program (ACT) and served full-time as a consultant to longtime friend Dr. James W. Carr.

Turlington was married to Ann Gellerstedt (until her death in 2003){{cite web |date=2003-12-27 |title=Dec. 27, 2003 |url=http://www.gainesville.com/article/20031227/OBITS/31226015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305080538/http://www.gainesville.com/article/20031227/OBITS/31226015 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |accessdate=December 9, 2012 |website=The Gainesville Sun}} and had two children, Donald and Katherine.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kYTAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Turlington,+Ralph+D..+Democrat,+29th+District%22+AND+%22Florida+Blue+Key,+Sigma+Phi*******%22 |title=The Florida Handbook |publisher=Peninsular Publishing Company |year=1969 |accessdate=December 9, 2012}} Turlington died on May 12, 2021, at the age of 100, in Durham, North Carolina.{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Mickie |date=2021-05-14 |title=Ralph Turlington, former Speaker of House, education commissioner, dies at 100 |url=https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2021/05/14/ralph-turlington-who-shepherded-florida-lottery-and-government-sunshine-dies-100-speaker-of-house/5096642001/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=The Gainesville Sun}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wjhg.com/2021/05/14/man-who-created-florida-lottery-dies-at-100/|title=Man who created Florida Lottery dies at 100|first=Mike|last=Vasilinda|work=WJHG-TV|date=May 14, 2021|access-date=May 14, 2021}}{{Cite web |last=Morgan |first=Lucy |date=May 15, 2021 |title=Ralph Turlington, former commissioner of education and force in FL politics, dies at 100 |url=https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2021/05/15/ralph-turlington-former-commissioner-of-education-and-force-in-fl-politics-dies-at-100/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=Florida Phoenix}}

A large building at the University of Florida, Ralph D. Turlington Hall, is named after him. It is located in the center of campus, houses multiple departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and over a hundred classrooms. The Florida Department of Education headquarters in Tallahassee, the Turlington Building, is also named in his honor.{{Cite news |last=Sutton |first=Charlotte |date=1990-05-05 |title=Power fails in new education building |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-power-fails-in-new-educa/171390984/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |work=St. Petersburg Times |page=4B |via=Newspapers.com}}

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{{s-bef|before=Floyd T. Christian}}

{{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Education Commissioner of Florida|years=1974, 1978, 1982}}

{{s-aft|after=Betty Castor}}

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{{Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives}}

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Category:1920 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:Florida commissioners of education

Category:Harvard Business School alumni

Category:People from Gainesville, Florida

Category:Military personnel from Florida

Category:Warrington College of Business alumni

Category:Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives

Category:Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives

Category:American men centenarians

Category:United States Army personnel of World War II

Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War

Category:20th-century members of the Florida Legislature

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