Ralph Klein, former Alberta premier, dies at 70 | Canadian Politics | Canada | News | National Post
Underneath the quick wit and the brash persona, Ralph Klein was shy.
That’s not what most people will remember, of course, not about “King Ralph.” His admirers will remember his compassion and his common touch. They’ll point to the stifling debt he slew. His critics will memorialize the former Alberta premier, while noting what he had to cut from the public service to get there.
But Alan Hallman, Mr. Klein’s former campaign manager, said the thing to remember is that the province’s iconic populist premier was a bit uncertain around new people.
“When he would go into rooms, he would go a lot to the people that he knew because it was comfortable,” he said.
Mr. Klein, who died in hospital after a long illness Friday at the age of 70, had the uncanny charisma that naturally shy people sometimes affect, Mr. Hallman said.
“He would turn on going into rooms. You could sit in the car with him and he was very quiet. Then, going into a room he could turn it on and off on a dime, but it was also genuine. He had a genuine concern about Albertans.”
Underneath the quick wit and the brash persona, Ralph Klein was shy.
That’s not what most people will remember, of course, not about “King Ralph.” His admirers will remember his compassion and his common touch. They’ll point to the stifling debt he slew. His critics will memorialize the former Alberta premier, while noting what he had to cut from the public service to get there.
But Alan Hallman, Mr. Klein’s former campaign manager, said the thing to remember is that the province’s iconic populist premier was a bit uncertain around new people.
“When he would go into rooms, he would go a lot to the people that he knew because it was comfortable,” he said.
Mr. Klein, who died in hospital after a long illness Friday at the age of 70, had the uncanny charisma that naturally shy people sometimes affect, Mr. Hallman said.
“He would turn on going into rooms. You could sit in the car with him and he was very quiet. Then, going into a room he could turn it on and off on a dime, but it was also genuine. He had a genuine concern about Albertans.”
