James Milton Turner was a significant leader in the areas of African American education, civil rights, and foreign diplomacy. Born into slavery in St. Louis County, Turner was freed in 1843. He was educated in secret because an 1847 Missouri law prohibited the education of blacks. After attending Oberlin College in Ohio, Turner returned to St. Louis and worked as a porter until the Civil War broke out. He worked as a body servant for a Union colonel during the war. Afterward, Turner became involved in numerous activities to advance the rights of African Americans in Missouri and the nation. He worked for the Missouri Department of Education, establishing over thirty new schools throughout the state for African Americans. He helped gain support for Lincoln Institute, now named Lincoln University. In 1871, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Turner U.S. minister to Liberia, making him the first African American to hold that position. Turner later helped provide relief for blacks who were fleeing the South. He was also an advocate for former black slaves of the Cherokee who had land and oil claims in the Oklahoma Indian Territory.

Unless otherwise noted, text and images © 2007, State Historical Society of Missouri