John Horgan didn’t really want to be premier. And maybe that’s why he was such a good one.

Only a guy who turned down the job of party leader repeatedly, who wanted another generation to step up and take it on, who had to have his arm twisted to lead, could excel at a job where the immense power so frequently turns otherwise good people into shadows of themselves.

But not ‘John from Langford,’ as he often called himself, or ‘Premier Dad’ as he was known to his staff. Horgan had the rare distinction of actually becoming a better politician, a more authentic version of himself, as he settled into the pressure cooker that was the province’s top job.

His death on Tuesday of cancer at the age of 65 was heartbreaking to friends, colleagues and the province. But his legacy as the greatest premier the BC New Democrats have ever seen, and one of the most popular premiers in provincial history, is a remarkable story of a person stepping up to meet the moment and realize their true potential.

To understand Horgan’s journey, you have to first remember the bespectacled, bearded, curmudgeonly version of Horgan that skulked the hallways in opposition, inexplicably picking fights with people after being elected in 2005.

That John Horgan regularly clashed with critics. He’d start shouting at BC Liberal government staffers who’d come to monitor his press conferences. He’d turn his chair around to show his back to then premier Christy Clark after asking her a question in the legislature. He’d grow indignant at reporters who challenged him, sometimes questioning their motives, professionalism and intelligence before storming out of interviews and off down the hallway.

But after every clash, he would inevitably phone, text or email an apology. The moment got the better of........

© BIV