About Henry Cisneros

Henry Gabriel Cisneros is an American politician and businessman. He served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 1981 to 1989. He was the second Latino mayor of a major American city and the city's first since 1842. A Democrat, Cisneros served as the 10th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 1997. As HUD Secretary, Cisneros was credited with initiating the revitalization of many public housing developments and with formulating policies that contributed to achieving the nation's highest-ever rate of homeownership. In his role as the President's chief representative to the cities, Cisneros worked in more than two hundred cities across the United States. Concurrently with deciding to leave the HUD position, reports surfaced of alleged payments to his former mistress.