Jean Allen Turnage (March 10, 1926 – September 27, 2015) was the chief justice of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court wh ...

from 1985 until 2000. He was born in

St. Ignatius, Montana St. Ignatius ( Salish: snyél̓mn, Ktunaxa: ʔa·kikqǂaǂaǂuk̓pǂiʔit) is a town in Lake County, Montana, United States. The population was 768 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation. History It was nam ...

. He served in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

after high school. He studied on the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

at Montana State University, predecessor of the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

. In 1952, he became Lake County's attorney. He served two years in the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

and 20 years in the

Montana State Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

including as senate president in 1981 session. He ran successfully for Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court in 1984, serving two terms before retiring in January 2001. Turnage was an enrolled member of the Confederated

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...

and

Kootenai The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...

Tribes He had two children.

References

1926 births 2015 deaths Justices of the Montana Supreme Court Chief Justices of the Montana Supreme Court People from St. Ignatius, Montana University of Montana alumni Members of the Montana House of Representatives Montana state senators 20th-century American judges {{Montana-state-judge-stub