Born in Zagreb on 9 February 1926, Vrhovec first became politically engaged during World War II, during which he became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav Partisans (1941–1945).

In the late 1960s Vrhovec became more seriously involved in politics and quickly rose to high-ranking positions in the Party following the downfall of the Croatian Spring movement in the early 1970s, as a protégé of Vladimir Bakarić's faction within the League of Communists of Croatia (SKH).

He reportedly talked with Ronald Reagan several times in the early 1980s about the possibility of introducing multi-party democracy and market economy reforms in Yugoslavia.

[3] After serving a full four-year term, Vrhovec was appointed to the post of chairman of SKH, and from May 1984 to May 1989 he represented SR Croatia in the nine-member Presidency of Yugoslavia, a collective body functioning as the head of state.

Vrhovec is also credited as one of the key people involved in the organisation of the 1987 Summer Universiade, the biggest sporting event ever hosted in the city of Zagreb.