He served as Rector of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua from 1959 to 1962, served in the federal Chamber of Deputies for Chihuahua's 1st district during the 46th Congress (1964 to 1967), and was General Director of the state-controlled corporation Productos Forestales de la Tarahumara (PROFORTARAH).
In 1980 Governor Óscar Ornelas appointed him State Treasurer; following Ornelas's forced resignation from the governorship on 19 September 1985, González Herrera was appointed interim governor to complete his six-year mandate.
[1] Towards the end of González's term as governor, the 1986 state election was held, which saw Francisco Barrio Terrazas of the National Action Party (PAN) compete against Fernando Baeza Meléndez of the PRI; the official result was a victory for the latter, but suspicions of electoral fraud marred the election and Baeza Meléndez's time in office.
Saúl González was elected to the Senate for the 1988–94 period, representing Chihuahua for the PRI.
At the end of his senatorial period, he returned to his private practice as a notary public.