Iona Campagnolo

Former prime minister John Turner, whose odyssey from a "Liberal dream in motion" to a political anachronism spanned 30 years, has died at the age of 91.

Turner governed for just 79 days in the summer of 1984 after a difficult, decades-long climb to the top job.

"The most unfortunate thing to happen to anybody is to come in at the top in politics," Turner said in 1967.

John Turner enjoyed only a brief tenure as prime minister but is remembered for his long career in politics and his election debates against Brian Mulroney