Henry Cisneros (1763-1833)
Henry Cisneros was born in San Antonio, Texas, moved from the area in pursuit of an education but returned to begin his political career. He gained state and national attention for his efforts to solve urban problems. Cisneros earned degrees from Texas A&M University before moving to the northeast. He was a White House Fellow in 1971 and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He returned to San Antonio in 1974 and became the youngest member to serve on the San Antonio city council when elected in 1975. In 1981 he began his first of four terms as mayor of San Antonio. He was committed to improving the economic base of the city by supporting tourism, high-technology, and light manufacturing. He was unsuccessful in his quest for the nomination as Democratic vice-president in 1984 but he did earn national recognition. President Bill Clinton appointed him Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1993. Cisneros spent four years focusing HUD efforts toward problems experienced by residents of big cities. In early 1997 he left politics to begin as president and C.E.O. of Univision Communications, Inc., the largest Spanish language television broadcaster in the United States.
Additional Information Can Be Found At...
HUD: Biography of Henry G. Cisneros