James Milton Turner
James Milton Turner | |
|---|---|
| Assistant superintendent of Missouri schools | |
| In office After Civil War – pre-1871 | |
| United States Minister to Liberia | |
| In office March 1, 1871 – May 7, 1878 | |
| President | Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | James W. Mason |
| Succeeded by | John H. Smythe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1840 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | Nov 1, 1915 (75 years old) Ardmore, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (Radical Republicans) Democratic |
| Alma mater | Oberlin College John Berry Meachum's floating Freedom School |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | U.S. Army (Union Army) |
James Milton Turner (c. 1840 – November 1, 1915) was an American political leader, activist, educator, and diplomat during the Reconstruction era. Appointed consul general to Liberia in 1871, he was the first African-American to serve in the U.S. diplomatic corps.