James Milton Turner (c. 1840 – November 1, 1915) was an American political leader, activist, educator, and diplomat during the Reconstruction era.

When the American Civil War broke out, Turner enlisted in the Union Army and served as body servant for Col. Madison Miller.

After the war, Miller's brother-in-law, Missouri Governor Thomas Fletcher, appointed him as assistant superintendent of schools.

He had funding from a private religious group, the American Missionary Association based in New England, as well as the War Department's Freedmen's Bureau.

[2] As a politician, Turner, an outspoken member of the Radical Republicans and a leader of the Missouri Equal Rights League, was held in high regard for his oratorical skills.

[5] When he returned to St. Louis, Turner played an important role in helping to resettle black refugees from former Confederate states in the South.

[6] Turner worked during the last two decades of his life in fighting for the rights of Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw freedmen in the Indian Territory.