Shelley earned a law degree from the University of San Francisco in 1932 . He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and was a member of the California State Senate from 1938 to 1946 . He ran an unsuccessful race for the Lieutenant Governor 's office against Goodwin Knight in 1946 . Shelley would then make his mark as a leader of the California delegation to the 1948 Democratic National Convention , when he helped marshal his state 's votes to support a strong civil rights plank . Shelley entered the United States House of Representatives in 1949 and served until 1964 , when he stepped down to be inaugurated Mayor of San Francisco after winning the November , 1963 election by nearly a 12-point margin against his nearest opponent , Harold Dobbs ( 50-38.5 % )
1948 Democratic National Convention
1948 Democratic National Convention
John F. Shelley