Turner W. Bell was a famous African-American lawyer who worked on thousands of legal cases in Leavenworth and Kansas City, Missouri.

Bell graduated from Drake University Law School and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to set up a practice.

When he arrived, 1887, he was told by a white lawyer to leave town as he would starve to death trying to get work in the city.

[1] He quickly gained a reputation for getting people early release out of United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth.

[1] In 1935 he was honored by Governor Alf Landon for his work in the legal field.