Charles M. (Charles Mark) Turton

Charles M. Turton, also cited as Charles Mark Turton, was an American physics educator and author active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Library and book records connect him with works including Manual of Experimental Physics for Secondary Schools, Principles of Physics, and Physics, written with collaborators such as Charles H. Smith, Willis E. Tower, Fred Richardson Nichols, and Thomas D. Cope.

A memorial notice published in School Science and Mathematics after his death in 1937 describes him as a deeply committed member of the Central Association of Science and Mathematics Teachers and a careful, engaged reader of the journal. That picture fits the books associated with his name: practical teaching texts built to help students learn physics through experiment, observation, and clear explanation.

Reliable biographical detail beyond his publications and professional reputation is limited in the sources I could confirm here, so this overview stays close to the record. Even so, his surviving textbooks suggest a teacher-writer who cared about making physics teachable, understandable, and useful in the classroom.