Turner was born in Southampton County in the Colony of Virginia; his family moved to the Province of North Carolina in 1770.

Raised in a family of farmers, Turner served in the North Carolina volunteer militia during the American Revolutionary War in 1780.

He served under Nathanael Greene alongside Nathaniel Macon, with whom he formed a lasting friendship and political alliance.

In 1802, the General Assembly elected John Baptista Ashe governor, but he died before he could assume office; Turner was chosen in his place and sworn in on December 5, 1802.

Turner served as a senator for eleven years, re-elected to a second term in 1811, resigning due to ill health in 1816.