John Napier Turner

John Napier Turner 1929-, Canadian prime minister (1984). Born in England, he emigrated to Ontario with his Canadian-born mother in 1932. Trained as a lawyer, he entered the House of Commons as a Liberal in 1962. He subsequently served as head of several ministries, notably as minister of justice (1968-72) and minister of finance (1972-75). Upon the resignation of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1984, he became leader of the Liberal party. He became prime minister on June 30 and dissolved Parliament shortly thereafter. In the September elections the Liberal party was soundly defeated. Turner remained Liberal party leader until 1990.

Turner, John Napier (b. 7 June 1929). Prime Minister of Canada 1984 Born in Richmond (UK), his family left for Canada in 1932. After studying at the Universities of British Columbia, Oxford, and Paris, he became a lawyer in Quebec in 1954 and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1962 for the Liberal Party. In 1968, he lost in a leadership bid to Trudeau, who subsequently appointed him Minister of Justice (1968–72) and of Finance (1972–5). In September 1975 he resigned to general surprise and withdrew from politics, but ran for the Liberal leadership in 1984, successfully beating Chrétien on 16 June. He was appointed Prime Minister on 30 June 1984, and immediately called a general election, in which his party was reduced to forty parliamentary seats by Mulroney. He left office on 17 September 1984, but remained a relatively ineffective leader of a divided party until 1990.

Turner, John Napier (1929– ) Canadian Liberal politician, Prime Minister for four months in 1984. Turner succeeded TRUDEAU as Prime Minister but was defeated in the subsequent general election.