John Hart
John Hart was born March 31, 1879 in Mohill, Ireland. He founded Gillespie, Hart and Co. in 1909. He was elected (Liberal) MLA for Victoria in 1916, and won every election he was in thereafter. He was BC’s finance minister from 1917 to 1949, except for business reasons in the years 1924 and 1933. In December 1941 Hart was elected the Liberal premier of a coalition government, a position he held until he retired in 1947. He established the B.C. Power Commission and began building highways, including the Hart Highway from Prince George to Dawson Creek. John Hart died in Victoria B.C. in 1957