Description

Robert Turnbull was born in Mexico in 1885. The names of his parents are unknown.

Robert married Jessie Burnett on April 16, 1908. They had one son, Robert B. Turnbull, born in Prescott, Arizona.

Robert became famous as a photographer and motion picture cameraman. He was the first cameraman hired by Warner Brothers studio during the silent films era. Robert was part of the Arizona Motion Picture Company. He ranked among the leading motion picture cameramen in the country.

Robert became the official photographer of the Mexican Constitutionalists (a faction during the Mexican revolution who fought against the dictatorship and aimed to restore a constitutional goverment in Mexico) where he made photos and movies of the troops to be shown in the U.S. to create public sentiment for their cause. U.S. Migration records show him travelling back and forth to Mexico numerous times.

Robert was involved in an Arizona court case involving his divorced wife in 1916. He claimed the divorce was granted while he was out of the country and unknown to him. It was further complicated by the fact that his wife had remarried. Robert wanted the divorce decree vacated. One of his arguments was that his wife did not live in Prescott for the year previous to her divorce, as per her statement.

Handwriting on photograph reads: "Robert A. Turnbull, Phoenix, Arizona".

No information found about Robert's death.

Sources: Arizona, Marriages, 1865-1949; Arizona, Maricopa County, Voting Records, 1876-1932; Casa Grande Dispatch 5-9-1914; Tucson Citizen 10-14-1913, 4-9-1914; Weekly journal-miner 2-9-1916; Arizona Memory Project 8-21-1913; U.S. Migration Records 1905-1952.