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Tommy Turner

Tommy Turner is the fifth of seven children born to Thomas and Edna Turner of Magnolia, Kentucky. Turner grew up and worked on the family farm in Magnolia and also worked in his father’s farm implement business and Real Estate Company. Turner is a graduate of LaRue County Schools and Western Kentucky University.

Turner’s family has a long history of local community and political involvement with members of his family having served as County Judge, Sheriff, Magistrate, Property Valuation Administrator, Circuit Clerk, Jailer, and County Attorney. In 1985 Turner became the youngest person in the history of Kentucky to be elected to the office of County Judge.

During Turner’s tenure as County Judge, he has been involved in a wide variety of civic, community, and statewide activities. He has served as chair of the local and district health departments, chair of the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, one of only 4 elected officials to serve on the National Association of Development Organizations, has served as President of the Kentucky County Judge Association, has served as President of the Kentucky Association of Counties, and has served on Governor’s Task Forces concerning such matters as local taxation, juvenile justice, public defender services, and also serves on the Kentucky Jail Standards Commission and as the County Judge representative on the Kentucky Penal Code Revision Commission.

Tommy has a keen interest in history, particularly in that of his community and involving LaRue County’s greatest native son, Abraham Lincoln. In 1989 Turner and a group of local volunteers formed the Lincoln Museum. Through their efforts, they were able to raise approximately $150,000 in individual contributions to establish a museum, dedicated to the life of Abraham Lincoln, in downtown Hodgenville. The museum has become a major tourist attraction with thousands of visitors annually. The efforts to garner funds for improvement and expansion of the museum have resulted in approximately $750,000 raised to date. The museum is currently undergoing a $400,000 renovation to add exhibits and make the facility handicapped accessible. Turner also spearheaded an effort to add the Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home, Knob Creek Farm, to the National Park System. With Turner’s urging, Congress passed legislation authorizing the acceptance of the Boyhood Home, through donation, to the National Park Service. Turner’s group has raised over $1,000,000 to make this dream a reality. On November 6, 2001, the property was donated to the National Park Service and the Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home, Knob Creek, has now been added as a new National Park. Turner also submitted the winning design for the Kentucky Millennium Quarter to be issued by the United States Mint. The design depicted the Lincoln Birthplace cabin along with an inscription stating “Kentucky, America’s First Frontier”. However, the design was altered and changed by the U.S. Mint prior to acceptance as the Kentucky Quarter design.

Turner and his wife of 15 years, Camille, an administrator with the LaRue County Schools, along with their six-year-old son, Isaiah, and 1-year -old daughter Anna Grace, reside in Magnolia.

Appointed by the President of the United States on the recommendation of the Governor of Kentucky.

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