Ralph Turlington, Former Commissioner Of Education And Force In Florida Politics, Dies At 100

By Lucy Morgan, Florida Phoenix

May 15, 2021

Ralph D. Turlington, former speaker of the Florida House and Education Commissioner, died Friday at the age of 100.

Turlington was a towering figure in Florida politics for much of his life. Born in Gainesville, he graduated from the University of Florida in 1942 after serving as business manager of the Florida Alligator and joining Florida Blue Key, a leadership fraternity which has often served as a steppingstone in Florida Politics.

Turlington went to Harvard, where he earned a master’s degree in 1943, shortly before he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and sent to Europe. He rose to the rank of captain while serving as commander of a supply company in Northern France supporting General George Patton’s Third Army during the Battle of the Bulge.

After the war, he returned to the United States and in 1946 married Ann Gellerstedt of Atlanta.

In 1949, Turlington became an agent for State Farm Insurance Co., a business he operated for 25 years. In 1950, he ran for the Florida Legislature, representing Gainesville and Alachua County. He was reelected 11 times and served as House Speaker from 1967 to 1968.

His legislative accomplishments included getting the initial funding to establish the medical center at the University of Florida and establishing the pension system for state employees.

He left the Legislature in 1973, when Gov. Reubin Askew appointed him Commissioner of Education, overseeing public schools and colleges and serving on the Florida Cabinet.

He was elected to the position in 1974 and remained in the post until he retired in 1986.

During his final year in public office, Turlington, with the help of a key aide, Frank Mirabella, led the successful statewide campaign to establish a lottery to help fund education in Florida. Since then, the state lottery has generated more than $40 billion for public schools.

After Turlington announced plans to retire, state legislators named both the 17 story Department of Education building and the largest classroom building at the University of Florida after him.

Family members announced his death in Durham, N.C., where Turlington had lived for years.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.