establishment. That left Horner with only three options: run as an independent, cross the floor, or retire from federal politics. His chances of retaining his seat as an independent were slim, though slightly better than his chances of being elected as a Liberal given the strong antipathy toward the Liberals in rural Alberta. On the other hand, serving as a government member from Alberta virtually guaranteed Horner a cabinet post for the remainder of the 30th Parliament, since the Liberals had not elected any candidates under their own banner from Alberta in the 1974 election. Serving as a Liberal also gave Horner the prospect of securing patronage appointments under future Liberal governments after leaving Parliament, a prospect that Horner considered quite likely because of his low opinion of Clark's leadership. In any event, Horner ran for reelection even though polling indicated he faced almost certain defeat. One poll showed him getting only 15 percent of the vote, down from 75 percent in 1974. As expected, Horner was badly defeated in the 1979 election, which unseated the Liberal government. His vote share collapsed to 18 percent, losing almost three fourths of his vote from 1974. Ultimately, he finished a very distant second, more than 20,000 votes behind Malone. Horner attempted a comeback in the 1980 federal election, but despite the return of a Liberal government nationally, Horner again placed a poor second in Crowfoot, winning only 4,761 votes, 1,000 votes fewer than he had managed in 1979. The Liberal government appointed him to the board of Canadian National Railways, where he served as chairman from 1982 to 1984. From 1984 to 1988, he was Administrator (Federal Deputy Minister equivalent) of the Western Grain Transportation Agency, reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Transport. He died at a Calgary hospital, leaving his wife, Leola, and two sons, Brent and Craig. References Further reading External links Globe & Mail obituary 1927 births 2004 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the 20th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs People from Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan Jack Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidates