Turner was born near Henderson, North Carolina. He attended the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville in 1857 before moving to Brooks County, Georgia, in 1859 to teach school. During the American Civil War, Turner enlisted as a private in the Confederate States Army and eventually rose to the rank of captain. After the war, he studied law, gained admittance to the state bar in 1865 and began practicing law in Quitman, Georgia. In 1874, Turner was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in the $3 and served in that capacity until 1876. He also served as a delegate to the 1876 Democratic National Convention.