Cisneros, << sees NAY rohs, >> Henry Gabriel (1947-…), became the first Hispanic American to serve as United States secretary of housing and urban development. He held the post from 1993 to 1997, serving under President Bill Clinton. Earlier, Cisneros had been the first Mexican American to be elected mayor of a major U.S. city. He was elected mayor of San Antonio in 1981. He won reelection three times and served as mayor until 1989.
Cisneros returned to private life in 1997, after leaving the Cabinet. Later that year, he was charged with having lied in the background investigation that took place before he was confirmed as the housing secretary. The investigators charged that Cisneros had not told the truth about the amount of financial support he was providing for a woman with whom he had once had an affair. In 1999, just before his trial was about to start, Cisneros pleaded guilty to the charge of lying. The court fined him $10,000.
Cisneros was born in San Antonio on June 11, 1947. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Texas A&M University. Cisneros also received graduate degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. In 1974, he joined the faculty of the Division of Environmental Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Cisneros was elected to San Antonio’s City Council in 1975 and was reelected twice. As a council member, he emphasized economic development and cooperation between the city’s Hispanic and white residents. Hispanic Americans formed the largest ethnic group in San Antonio. In the 1981 mayoral campaign, Hispanic Americans cast most of the votes Cisneros received, but many whites also supported him. As mayor, Cisneros helped strengthen the urban and business communities of downtown San Antonio.
