State Web Site

Military Service: Army

War(s) Served:  Spanish American War

DANIEL WEBSTER TURNER, Iowa's twenty-fifth governor, was born in Corning, Iowa on March 17, 1877. In 1898, he graduated from the Corning Academy, and then enlisted in the Spanish American War. He served in the Philippines with the 51st Iowa Volunteer Infantry from 1898 to 1899. After his military service, Turner went into farming and the mercantile business. He entered into politics in 1904, serving as a member of the Iowa State Senate, a position he held until 1909. Turner won the 1930 Republican gubernatorial nomination and was sworn into the governor's office on January 15, 1931. During his tenure, the Great Depression played a major role in the way he managed the state's affairs. He advocated a graduated state income tax and a corporation tax to replace the property tax. And schools were directed to lower the minimum salaries of teachers, as well as decreasing their levies. Also, a tuberculosis outbreak in the cattle industry was dealt with. The National Guard was summoned to impose the required testing of the cattle and to protect the veterinarians administering the tests. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Turner left office on January 12, 1933. He made one more run for the governorship in 1934, but was again unsuccessful. He served on the war production board in Washington, D.C. from 1942 to 1945. Governor Daniel W. Turner died on April 15, 1969, and was buried in Corning, Iowa.

Sources:

Des Moines Register (April 18, 1969).

Dougherty, Donald Lee. "Turner." MA thesis, Drake University, 1973.

Iowan ,4 (Aug- Sept, 1956): 16-18, 50.

The Political Graveyard

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

University of Iowa: Papers of Daniel Webster Turner, 1898-1969