Filner, Bob, 1942-

Robert Earl Filner (born September 4, 1942) is an American academic and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the U.S. Representative from California's 50th (1993-2003) and 51st (2003-2012) congressional districts and as Mayor of San Diego, California from December 2012 to August 2013.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens, New York before earning a B.A. from Cornell University in 1963, an M.A. from the University of Delaware in 1969, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1973. While completing his Ph.D., he moved to San Diego, becoming a history professor at San Diego State University for more than 20 years. Filner was long interested in politics. He worked for U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota in 1975 and for Minnesota Congressman Don Fraser in 1976. He also worked for Congressman Jim Bates from the San Diego area in 1984. His elective career began in 1979, when his opposition to the closing of a neighborhood school led him to run for the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education, defeating a longtime incumbent. His "back to basics" approach to education won him wide praise, and his colleagues elected him president of the board in 1982. He was elected to the San Diego City Council in 1987 and was reelected in 1991; his colleagues elected him Deputy Mayor of San Diego.

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