Henry G. Cisneros, born on July 11, 1947 in San Antonio, possesses several degrees. These include a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M, a master’s degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from George Washington University.
Following two years of service in the US army in 1968, Henry embarked on his public service journey. He started as an administrative assistant in the San Antonio City Managers office and provided assistance to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Starting from 1974, he dedicated himself to educating others about public policy at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In addition to his teaching role, Henry successfully ran for a position on the San Antonio City Council in 1975. During his tenure, he emphasized the importance of promoting economic development and fostering collaboration between the Hispanic and White communities.
He served on the City council until 1981, when he became the Mayor of San Antonio. This made history as he became the first Hispanic mayor of a major U.S. city.
As mayor from 1981 to 1989, his primary focus was on rebuilding the city’s economy. He achieved this by promoting tourism, creating job opportunities, attracting high-tech industries, and expanding housing options.
During this time, he also held the position of president at the National League of Cities in 1985.
In 1989, he established the Cisneros Asset Management Company, a financial management firm for tax-exempt institutions.
Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and recognitions such as being named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of America in 1982 and receiving the Outstanding Mayor award from City and State Magazine in 1986.
In 1991, Vista Magazine honored him as Hispanic Man of the Year.
After leaving his role as Mayor, he hosted Texans- a quarterly television show in Texas- and Adelante -a daily Spanish-language radio commentary-.
In 1992 President Bill Clinton appointed him Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). His appointment was unanimously confirmed by United States Senate in 1993.As Secretary of HUD,Cisneros is responsible for overseeing fair housing activities,federally assisted housing programs,and economic development programs throughout countryThe document contains a total of 442 words and is divided into 24 pages.
