Combative Mobil Spokesman Quits, Will Aid Dole Drive

Herbert Schmertz, who gained fame as a controversial spokesman for Mobil Corp. during the 1970s, is leaving the oil company and will serve as an adviser to Sen. Bob Dole’s presidential campaign, Mobil announced today.

Schmertz, who has been with Mobil for 22 years, will leave May 1 to form his own company devoted to public relations and production of movies and television programs. However, Schmertz will devote “a substantial amount of his time” as an adviser to the Kansas Republican’s campaign, Mobil stated.

Schmertz, 57, became widely known in 1970 when he oversaw a series of Mobil advertisements in major U.S. newspapers. The columns addressed a range of public issues, and assailed those who opposed Mobil’s positions on them.