Hart became premier following the 1941 election when Pattullo's Liberals failed to win a majority.

In that contest, Liberals and Conservatives ran under the same banner for the first time in BC history.

After 1945, Hart undertook an ambitious program of rural electrification, hydroelectric and highway construction.

Hart's most significant projects were the construction of Highway 97 to northern British Columbia (which is named in his honour)[3] and the re-launch of the Bridge River Power Project, which was the first major hydroelectric development in British Columbia.

He died in Victoria in 1957, aged 78 years, having led a distinguished life of public service.