John F. Shelley

John F. Shelley
35th Mayor of San Francisco
In office January 8, 1964 – January 8, 1968
Preceded by	George Christopher
Succeeded by	Joseph Alioto
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 5th district
In office November 8, 1949 – January 7, 1964
Preceded by	Richard J. Welch
Succeeded by	Phillip Burton
Member of the California Senate from the 14th district
In office January 2, 1939 - January 6, 1947
Preceded by	Walter McGovern
Succeeded by	Gerald J. O'Gara
Personal details
Born	John Francis Shelley (1905-09-03)September 3, 1905 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	September 1, 1974(1974-09-01) (aged 68) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Genevieve Giles
Children	2
Education	University of San Francisco
Military service
Branch/service	United States Coast Guard
Battles/wars	World War II

John Francis Shelley (September 3, 1905 – September 1, 1974) was a U.S. politician. He served as the 35th mayor of San Francisco, from 1964 to 1968, the first Democrat elected to the office in 50 years, and the first in an unbroken line of Democratic mayors that lasts to the present (as of 2024^[update]). His term in the United States House of Representatives, immediately prior to his mayoralty (1949-1964), also broke a long streak of Republican tenure (44 years) and began a streak of Democratic representatives from San Francisco (and, coincidentally, the 5th district) that continues to the present (as of 2024^[update]).

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 1939 to 1947. 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%).^[1]