Josiah Turner Jr. was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina on December 27, 1821. A Confederate veteran, in 1868 Turner purchased the Raleigh Sentinel and shaped it into the leading conservative newspaper in the state, frequently targeting Governor William Woods Holden and his policies. Holden used the state militia to brief arrest Turner, but Turner was never found guilty of a crime and the charges were dropped. He died in Hillsborough on October 26, 1902.