DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about William Ward Turney and Iva Guthrie Turney, out there in El Paso County. Now, if you want a story about a man who started out in Marshall, Texas, and ended up leaving a mark on just about every corner of West Texas life, well, pull up a seat by this fire. William Ward Turney was born in 1861.
And right out of the gate, he was the kind of man who didn't waste time. When Brewster County needed its very first county attorney, in 1887, they elected William Turney to fill that seat. The first one.
That's not a footnote, that's the headline. Then came December of 1892, and with it, two things that would shape the rest of his story. William married Iva Guthrie, born in 1872, and the couple moved to El Paso.
That same year, William was first elected to the Texas Legislature. He served in the House from 1893 to 1897, then moved up to the Senate, where he served from 1897 to 1903. The man knew how to keep moving forward.
In the Legislature, Turney was known for supporting legislation that helped ranchers' interests. And that wasn't just politics talking, because William Turney was a cattleman himself. He bought the O-2 ranch in Brewster County, and that ranch became one of the largest ranches in all of West Texas.
When a man votes for ranchers and then goes home to one of the biggest ranches around, you get a sense he meant what he said. Back in El Paso, Turney was a partner in the firm of Turney, Burges, Culwell and Pollard. He specialized in corporate law, representing oil companies, telephone companies, and railway companies.
He also served as director of the El Paso branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. His business sense and civic leadership, the marker tells us, promoted the economic growth and development of the flourishing city of El Paso. That's not a small thing to be said about a person.
Now in 1906, the Turneys built their home in the Arizona Rio Grande District. It was designed by Trost and Trost, in the classical revival style, and friend, this was not a modest little cottage. Upstairs, five bedrooms.
On the main level, one large sitting room, a grand parlor, a ballroom, a dining room, and a kitchen. A ballroom. The Turneys had no children, but they had guests, plenty of them.
Over the years, the couple enjoyed giving elegant parties and entertaining dignitaries in that home. They also made frequent visits to their ranch and participated in many social and charitable organizations. By all accounts, they lived a full and generous life together.
William Ward Turney passed away in 1939. And here is where Iva Guthrie Turney steps fully into her own chapter of this story. After William died, Iva managed the family ranchland and businesses.
She lived out her later years in the Paso del Norte Hotel. And then she made a decision that says everything about who she was. Iva donated the home, that grand classical revival house with the ballroom and the parlors, to the city of El Paso.
In 1947, the city leased the building to the International Museum, and Iva herself served on the board of trustees. In 1959, the museum changed its name to the El Paso Museum of Art. In 1960, Carroll, Daueble and Associates remodeled the building.
Iva Turney passed away that same year, 1960. The house today is home to the International Museum of Art. The marker calls it a tribute to the Turneys and their dedication to their community.
A boy from Marshall becomes Brewster County's first attorney, a legislator, a cattleman, a corporate lawyer, a civic pillar. His wife outlives him by more than two decades, keeps the businesses running, and gives their grandest possession to the city they loved. Some people build things.
Some people give them away. The Turneys, it turns out, did both.
What the marker says
Born in Marshall, William Ward Turney (1861-1939) became a prominent West Texan. He was elected the first Brewster County attorney in 1887. William married Iva Guthrie (1872-1960) in December 1892 and the couple moved to El Paso, where he was a partner in the firm of Turney, Burges, Culwell and Pollard. That same year, William was first elected to the Texas Legislature, serving in the House (1893-97) and Senate (1897-1903). Turney was known for supporting legislation that helped ranchers’ interests. A cattleman himself, he bought the O-2 ranch in Brewster County, which became one of the largest ranches in West Texas. Specializing in corporate law, Turney represented oil, telephone and railway companies and also served as director of the El Paso branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. His business sense and civic leadership promoted the economic growth and development of the flourishing city of El Paso. Designed by Trost & Trost, the Turneys built their home in the Arizona Rio Grande District in 1906. The house was designed in the classical revival style and included five bedrooms upstairs and one large sitting room, a grand parlor, ballroom, dining room and kitchen on the main level. Over the years, the couple enjoyed giving elegant parties and entertaining dignitaries in their home. The Turneys had no children but enjoyed frequent visits to their ranch and participated in many social and charitable organizations. After William died in 1939, Iva managed family ranchland and businesses, while living out her later years in the Paso del Norte Hotel. Iva donated the home to the city of El Paso, and in 1947 the city leased the building to the International Museum, where Iva served on the board of trustees. In 1959, the museum changed its name to the El Paso Museum of Art and in 1960 Carroll, Daueble & Associates remodeled the building. Iva Turney passed away in 1960. The Turney house, now home of the International Museum of Art, is a tribute to the Turneys and their dedication to their community. (2020)