Courtney Turner (Atchison, KS)

Courtney Turner was a businessman and philanthropist from Atchison, KS. He was born on March 1, 1896, to two of Atchison's pioneer residents. He registered for the World War I draft on May 26, 1917, and described himself as tall, slender, with blue eyes and brown hair. In 1917, he applied for officers' training school and was assigned to the Fifth Provisional Co., and by 1918, he had been promoted to captain. He was the youngest officer (and soldier) in his regiment. After serving with the army of occupation in Germany for six months, he returned to the United States. He joined the Brown-Crummer Investment Co. of Kansas City in 1922, and in 1925 he formed a partnership to establish Commerce Acceptance Co. in Atchison to handle installment sales contracts for Ford cars sold by a firm in Atchison. Commerce grew from assets of $27,500 to $22 million over the course of about 40 years.

Turner was involved in WWII efforts as well, and was promoted to Colonel. In World War II as a lieutenant colonel he was deputy chief of staff to the commanding general of communications in Europe. Upon returning from military duty in 1945 he began investing in San Francisco real estate with the same partners he worked with in forming Commerce Acceptance Co. In 1968, Commerce Acceptance Co. was sold to Southwestern Investment Co. out of Amarillo, TX. That same year, Turner returned to Atchison.

Philanthropy and community involvement
Turner spent the rest of his life dedicated to the community of Atchison and its surrounding area. He was a member of the board of directors of First National Bank of Kansas City. In addition to American Legion Post No. 6 of Atchison, Turner was a member of Masonic Active Lodge No. 158 of Atchison, Abdallah Shrine of Overland Park, Royal Order of Jesters Court No. 93, the Kansas City Club and the Salvation Army board of directors. He was a lifelong member of Trinity Episcopal Church. He was a member of the YMCA board of trustees and board of directors, and a member emeritus of the Benedictine College board of governors, the school which granted him an honorary doctorate in 1964. He was a longtime member and friend of the local Boy Scout Council. He was a member of the Atchison Rotary Club.

He died in October 1986. The Courtney S. Turner Charitable Trust was established upon his death. The Trust has given more than $12 million to Atchison for a wide range of charitable, cultural, educational, historical and youth-related projects since its founding. The Trust has given to projects including Veterans Memorial Park in Atchison, Northeast Kansas Technical College, the Atchison County Historical Society, and the Atchison Santa Fe Depot. A meeting room in the Kansas City Public Library's Plaza branch is named in his honor.