UNFORGETTABLE SAGAS, SCOOPS AND SCANDALS
 from Toronto Life’slong-form archives

Dear Reader,

Mayor John Tory shocked Torontonians when he announced his resignation last week, admitting that he’d had a months-long relationship with a former staffer 37 years his junior. His departure is an explosive twist in the long career of a political and corporate titan best known for being hard-working, pragmatic and, well, bland. This week, we revisit a profile of Tory and his ambitious rise through the corridors of power—from his high-flying days as a political adviser and Rogers president to the ill-fated run for premier that would eventually lead him to city hall.

Born to Run

Working the back rooms, John Tory has made everyone from Bill Davis to Brian Mulroney look good. Now, he’s cashing in years of political capital in his bid to become premier

BY PHILIP PREVILLE | AUGUST 1, 2007

In both business and politics, John Tory has cast himself as a perfectly decent and ordinary guy. He looks the part, too: he’s handsome, but in an ordinary way. He may not have a magnetic presence, but he’s approachable. And he leaves you with the impression that he’s smarter and more competent than most people. This is the man Tory wants you to know—and, to meet him, you would never guess how long he’s been crafting that image. In this profile from 2007, Philip Preville chronicles Tory’s ascent from Young Progressive Conservative to political strategist and corporate heavyweight laying the groundwork for his provincial and mayoral campaigns.

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