Diplomacy works better than bluster, as John Hart knew well. Hart, an Irish immigrant with a talent for compromise and a famously winning smile, was at the heart of BC politics during the first half of the twentieth century. Drawing on government records, politicians' papers, and newspaper reports, John Hart illuminates his remarkable achievements. Hart, a businessman, ran and won in seven elections. He served as a Liberal member of the legislature, finance minister, and ultimately premier in a career spanning four decades. He managed British Columbia's finances during and immediately after the First World War, using his knowledge of the bond market to refinance old debts while improving the provincial credit rating. During the Depression and the Second World War, many of his financial dealings were with the federal government. As premier, he established the BC Power Commission, negotiated with Alaskan and Washington State politicians about transportation, initiated major highway construction, and laid the groundwork for the northern extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway.

As premier, Hart led a coalition with the Conservatives that provided businesslike governance and established the persistent BC political theme of free enterprise versus socialism. Like all good biography, John Hart is also the story of a particular time and place. It helps fill a large gap in the political and economic historical record of British Columbia.