Henry Cisneros
10th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office January 22, 1993 – January 19, 1997
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Jack Kemp
Succeeded by	Andrew Cuomo
Personal details
Born	50px (1947-06-11) June 11, 1947 (age 77) San Antonio, Texas
Died	50px
Resting place	50px
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Alice Perez
Children	Teresa Cisneros Mercedes Cisneros John Paul Cisneros
Parent	50px
Alma mater	Texas A&M University John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University) George Washington University

Henry Gabriel Cisneros (born June 11, 1947)^[1] is an American politician and businessman. He served four terms as the second(the first being alfonso cervantesof saint louis missouri 1965-1973 Hispanic mayor of a major United States city, his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. A Democrat, Cisneros accepted the position to serve as the 10th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1997, the full first term of President Clinton. Cisneros' decision to leave his Secretary position, and not serve a second term, was overshadowed as a result of controversy involving payments to his former mistress, in which he pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal officials. After public office, he has remained actively involved with creating housing and development to result in urban revitalization for this country’s large cities. Cisneros is also a diligent advocate for the Hispanic community. He has authored, co-authored, and edited several books, and is an in-demand public speaker. Cisneros is currently Executive Chairman to CityView, an urban institutional investment firm which finances commercial and residential developers, with more than $2 billion in transactions from 45 projects in 30 markets across 13 states.

The son of Elvira and George Cisneros, Henry Cisneros was born in San Antonio, Texas. He was one of three brothers and two sisters. He received his primary education at Central Catholic Marianist High School in San Antonio, and later received a Bachelor of Arts and an Master of Arts in urban and regional planning from Texas A&M University. He earned an additional Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Doctor of Public Administration from George Washington University. He married Mary Alice Perez in 1969. They have two daughters, Teresa and Mercedes, and a son, John Paul.

In 1975, Cisneros was elected to the San Antonio City Council, at the time becoming the youngest councilman in the city's history (until current San Antonio City Councilor Chip Haas's election in 2003 at age 26). Cisneros noted that the Democratic party he joined was leftist but has become more central by the mid 1990s.^[2] He served for six years on the City Council and was elected Mayor of San Antonio in 1981. San Antonio at the time was the ninth-largest city in the nation. Cisneros became the first Mexican American to head a major American city. He was well liked by his constituency and was reelected to three additional two-year terms, which meant he served four terms as mayor overall. His popularity did not rest with San Antonio's Hispanic community alone, but with all ethnic groups in the area. In 1982, he was selected as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Men of America" by the U.S. Jaycees.

As mayor of San Antonio, Cisneros began to attract national attention for his success in developing new growth in the city's business sector, and in 'promoting cooperation' among the city's various ethnic groups. In a Spanish-language interview published during the 1980s in El Diario newspaper in the border town Piedras Negras, Cisneros declared that he wanted to be President of the United States.^{[citation needed]} In 1984, Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale tapped Cisneros as a finalist for the vice presidential nomination, which eventually went to U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro. [2] In 1986, City and State Magazine named him Outstanding Mayor.

Also while mayor, Cisneros had a well-publicized affair with constituent Linda Medlar. The affair did not end until 1991, when Cisneros's wife filed for divorce. The couple later reconciled, the divorce action was dropped and to this day the couple are happily married, yet the affair would complicate Cisneros in the future. In 1991, VISTA Magazine awarded him with its Hispanic Man of the Year honor.

In 1989, Cisneros left public office and became chairman of the Cisneros Asset Management Company, a national asset-management firm for tax-exempt organizations. He also served as deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and was a board member of the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1990, citizens urged Cisneros to run for governor of Texas but a family crisis forced him to change his goals. His son, John Paul, had been born in 1987 with a heart defect. At the time, doctors did not know if surgery could correct his problem. (He finally underwent successful surgery in late 1993). His son's health became his biggest priority, and Cisneros wished to stay close to home to spend as much time as possible with his family. He also turned down an appointment as a U.S. senator from Texas in 1993 for the seat formerly held by Lloyd Bentsen, who had been nominated as Secretary of the Treasury.

Cisneros was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He was sworn into office by Chief Justice William Rehnquist on January 22, 1993. During his term, he reformed the public housing system, and successfully resisted efforts to substantially reduce or wholly eliminate the Department. One goal of the Clinton administration was to increase home ownership, especially among minorities. Cisneros, also in favoring this prior to enter Clinton administration, made this a priority. When Cisneros arrived at HUD, the home ownership rate was 63.7 percent. When he left office in 1997 it had risen to 65.7 percent. At the end of Clinton's second term it had continued this upward trend to 67.5 percent.^[3] As the Clinton administration’s top housing official in the mid-1990s, Mr. Cisneros loosened mortgage restrictions so first-time buyers could qualify for loans they could never get before - contributing to the the great housing and financial crisis that began 10 years later.^[4]

Citing the needs of his family, he opted not to serve a second term with President Clinton and completed his term as Secretary ending in January 1997.

In March 1995, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno secured the appointment of an Independent Counsel, David Barrett to investigate allegations that Cisneros had lied to FBI investigators during background checks prior to being named Secretary of HUD. He had been asked about payments that he had made to former mistress Linda Medlar, also known as Linda Jones. The affair had been 'public knowledge' for a number of years - during the 1992 presidential campaign, George H. W. Bush's Treasurer Catalina Vasquez Villalpando (R) publicly referred to Cisneros and candidate Clinton as "two skirt-chasers." Cisneros lied about the amount of money he had paid to Medlar. The investigation continued for three and a half years.

In December 1997, Cisneros was indicted on 18 counts of conspiracy, giving false statements and obstruction of Justice. Medlar used some of the Cisneros hush money to purchase a house and entered into a bank fraud scheme with her sister and brother-in-law to conceal the source of the money. In January, 1998, Medlar pleaded guilty to 28 charges of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and obstruction of justice.

In September 1999, Cisneros negotiated a plea agreement, under which he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of lying to the FBI, and was fined $10,000. He did not receive jail time or probation. He was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in January 2001.

Upon resigning from his post as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Cisneros became president of Univision, a Spanish-language television network. Cisneros has served as a board member for Live Nation and as an advisor for the American Democracy Institute.^[5] He also joined the boards of a major builder, KB Home, and the largest mortgage lender in the nation, Countrywide Financial — two companies that rode the housing boom, drawing criticism along the way for abusive business practices.^[6]

Cisneros serves as Executive Chairman for CityView, which he formed in 2000 and originally had its start as American City Vista, a joint venture with KB Home intent on the purpose of building homes in central areas of major metropolitan areas. Today, CityView is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and is a national institutional urban development investor, providing financing to housing and commercial real estate developers. In 2006, Builder Magazine named Cisneros #18 out of the top 50 most influential people in the real estate industry.^[7]

Cisneros has received multiple honors and awards.

• One of “Five Outstanding Young Texans” Texas Jaycees, 1976
• One of “Ten Outstanding Young Men of America” U.S. Jaycees, 1982
• Torch of Liberty Award, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith, 1982
• Jefferson Award, American Institute of Public Service, 1982
• Award for Contribution to American Cities and Politics, Harvard Foundation, 1985
• President’s Medal of Merit, Pan American University, 1985
• Distinguished Leadership Award, American Institute of Planners, 1985
• National Recognition Award by the Mexican Government for 1985 Earthquake Assistance
• Honorary member, American Institute of Architects, 1986
• Outstanding Mayor "All-Pro City Management Team," City & State magazine (now Governing), September 1986^[8]
• Distinguished Service Award, Baylor College of Medicine, 1986
• Leadership in Local Government Award, American City & County magazine, 1987
• President’s Award, National League of Cities, 1989
• Hispanic Man of the Year, VISTA Magazine, 1991
• Founder Award, Partners for Livable Communities, 1992
• Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s Fourth Annual Legends and Fans Award, 1993
• Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 1994^[9]
• Hero of the People Award, ACORN, 1994
• Family Housing Legacy Award, Los Angeles Family Housing, 2000
• Humanitarian Award, Los Angeles Inner City Law Center, 2001^[10]
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Para Los Niños, 2001
• Theodor Herzl Award, Municipality of Jerusalem & The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah, 2001
• Environmental Hero Award for Business, California League of Conservation Voters, 2001
• Hammer of Hope Award, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, CA, 2002
• Hadassah Award, San Antonio Chapter, 2002
• National Inner City Leadership Award, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, April 2002^[11]
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Medallion of Excellence for Leadership, 2002^[12]
• Torah Learning Center (TLC) Moreshet Heritage Award, 2003
• Aguila Azteca, Government of the Republic of Mexico, 2003
• Catherine Powell Distinguished Service Award, Texas City Planners Association, 2004
• Builder of the Year, El Nuevo Constructor Magazine, 2004^[13]
• James W. Rouse Civic Medal of Honor, Enterprise Community Partners, 2004
• Israel Bonds Leadership Award, 2004
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Achievement Award, San Antonio Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, 2005^[14]
• Civil Rights Award, NEWSED Community Development Corporation, 2005
• Excellence in Affordable Housing Initiatives, City of San Antonio, 2005
• Trinity Prize for Innovative Urban Governance, Mayor of San Antonio 1981 – 1989, 2005
• Common Ground Award for Bipartisan Cooperation (shared with Jack Kemp), Search for Common Ground, March 2005^[15]
• Top 101 “Top Leaders of the Hispanic Community,” Latino Leaders Magazine, 2006
• Business Man of the Year, Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce, July 2006^[16]
• Lifetime Achievement Award, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, July 2006^[17]
• Top 50 “Most Influential People in Home Building,” Builder Magazine, December 2006^[18]
• Cesar Chavez Award, American Association for Affirmative Action, 2007^[19]
• National Hispanic Hero Award, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, 2007
• Housing Person of the Year, National Housing Conference, June 2007^[20]
• Inductee, Builders Hall of Fame, National Association of Home Builders, June 2007
• President’s Award, National Council of La Raza, July 2007^[21]
• Maestro Award for Leadership, Latino Leaders magazine, August 2007^[22]
• Housing Leadership Award, National Low Income Housing Coalition, February 2008^[23]
• Visionary Award, Hispanic College Fund, May 2008^[24]
• National Leadership Honoree, Hispanic Elected Local Officials, June 2008^[25]
• Hubert H. Humphrey Award, The American Political Science Association, August 2008^[26]
• Visionary Award, Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles, October 2008^[27]
• Walter F. Mondale and Edward W. Brooke Fair Housing Award, National Fair Housing Alliance, June 2009^[28]

In addition, Cisneros is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees. Most recently, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Occidental College in Los Angeles in 2000.^[29]

Cisneros has a significant history of authoring, co-authoring, editing and contributing to several books and publications, along with speaking, narration and television appearances.

• "A Survival Strategy for America's Cities", Richard S. Childs Lecture in Municipal Administration, The City Club of New York, 1982^[30]
• "San Antonio’s Place in the Technology Economy; A Review of Opportunities and a Blueprint for Action", 1982
• "Target 1990; Goals and Decisions for San Antonio’s Future," authored as Mayor, 1983^[31]
• Samuel Rubin Lecture, Samuel Rubin Program for the Advancement of Liberty and Equality through Law, Columbia Law School, February 24, 1986^[32]
• Chubb Fellowship (lecture), Timothy Dwight College, Yale University, 1986
• Daily Radio Commentary, 40 radio stations, produced by Tichenor Broadcasting, 1989 – 1992
• Tomás Rivera Lecture, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, 1992^[33]
• "Interwoven Destinies: Cities and the Nation", (ISBN 0393965821, W. W. Norton & Company NY, 1993), Editor, The American Assembly
• "Urban America: HUD's call to action", Urban Land magazine (ISSN 0042-0891, v.53, n.1, p.22-24, January 1994)
• "Comic Relief VI", (national broadcast HBO, January 15, 1994) cast member^[34]
• "Earth Angels: Migrant Children in America", (ISBN 0876540744, Pomegranate 1994), Introduction, Nancy Buirski (Photographer), Ruben Blades (Afterword)
• "Legacy for a Reinvented HUD: Charting a New Course in Changing and Demanding Times", Cityscape journal of policy development and research, (Volume 1, Number 3, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, September 1995)
• "Secretary’s Essay Series, (9 essays)" (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1995 – 1996)
  • "University and the Urban Challenge ", first in a series, January 1995
  • "Defensible Space: Deterring Crime and Building Community ", second in a series, January 1995
  • "Regionalism: The New Geography of Opportunity", third in a series, March 1995
  • "Urban Entrepreneurialism and National Economic Growth", fourth in a series, September 1995
  • "Higher Ground: Faith Communities and Community Building", fifth in a series, February 1996
  • "Preserving Everybody's History ", sixth in a series, February 1996
  • "Fathers and Families: Changing the Rules", seventh in a series, December 1996
  • "Urban Land and the Urban Prospect", eighth in a series, December 1996
  • "Community Colleges and Urban Development", ninth in a series, December 1996
• "Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement", (national broadcast PBS, April 1996) narrator, by Hector Galán: Producer^[35]
• "Report on the state of America's communities", delivered to the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., April 25, 1996
• "The Mexican American Family Album (The American Family Albums)", (ISBN 019512426X, Oxford University Press, 1998) by Dorothy Hooble and Thomas Hoobler, Introduction
• "The Millennial City: Classic Readings on U.S. Urban Policy", (ISBN 9780762305728, Elsevier 1999) From series: Research in Urban Policy v. 12, edited by R.D. Norton
• "The Forgotten Americans", (national broadcast PBS, December 2000) narrator, by Hector Galán: Writer, Producer, Director^[36]
• "Where Will The Poor Live? Housing Policy and the Location of Low-Income Households", webcast (Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkely, February 7, 2003)^[37]
• "Homes for Americans in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for the Nation", Fifth Annual John T. Dunlop Lecture, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, September 29, 2003^[38]
• "Conversations", (KLRN Public Television, San Antonio) host, 2003 – present^[39]
• "Cinco de Mayo", (national broadcast History Channel, October 2004) narrator, by Hector Galán: Producer, Director^[40]
• "Promise and Betrayal: Universities and the Battle for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods", (ISBN 0791464830, SUNY Press, 2005) by John I. Gilderbloom and R.L. Mullins Jr., foreword
• "Opportunity and Progress: A Bipartisan Platform for National Housing Policy", (Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2005, no ISBN) with Jack Kemp, Kent W. Colton, and Nicolas P. Retsinas
• "The Future of the American City", Fourth Annual James W. Rouse Lecture, webcast, September 25, 2005^[41]
• "About Children: An Authoritative Resource on the State of Childhood Today", (ISBN 1581101422, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005), by Arthur G. Cosby PhD, Robert E. Greenberg MD, Linda Hill Southward PhD, and Michael Weitzman MD, contributor Ch. 8
• "Casa y Comunidad: Latino Home and Neighborhood Design", (ISBN 9780867186130, BuilderBooks.com®, 2006) with John Rosales
• "Our Communities, Our Homes: Pathways to Housing and Homeownership in America’s Cities and States", (ISBN 9780976148111, Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2007) with Jack Kemp, Kent W. Colton, and Nicolas P. Retsinas
• "Latinos and the Nations Future", (ISBN 1558855424, Arte Público Press, 2008), Editor
• "From Despair to Hope: HOPE VI and the Transformation of America’s Public Housing", (ISBN 0815714254, Brookings Institution Press, 2009), Editor
• "Getting The Nation's Housing Sector Back on Track", article (National League of Cities, January 2009)^[42]
• "A Fence Can’t Stop the Future", essay (Newsweek magazine, January 17, 2009)^[43]

Throughout his career, Cisneros has been and continues to be associated with numerous business, corporate, housing trade, civic and governmental, educational, and charitable organizations.

• Chairman, San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund, 1981 – 1989
• Member, President’s National Bipartisan Commission on Central America, 1983 – 1984
• Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration, 1984 – present^[44]
• Visiting Fellow, Harvard University, 1985
• President, Texas Municipal League, 1985
• Co-Chair, Texas Response to the 1985 Mexico Earthquake, 1985
• Member, Board of Regents, Texas A&M University, 1985 – 1987
• Trustee, Notre Dame University, 1985 – 1988
• Member, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, 1985 – 1993
• President, National League of Cities, 1986^[45]
• Member, Bilateral Commission on the Future of United States–Mexican Relations, Ford Foundation, 1986 – 1989
• Member, Board of Trustees, Baylor College of Medicine, 1987 – 1990
• Member, Governor’s (TX) Task Force on Education Finance in Texas, 1989
• Chairman, San Antonio Education Partnership, 1989 – 1992
• Chairman, Stadium Advisory Committee, Alamodome, 1989 – 1992
• Member, The Rockefeller Foundation, 1989 – 1992
• Chair, Board of Trustees, The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, Claremont Graduate University, California 1989 – 1992
• Member, Inter-American Dialogue, 1989 – 1993
• Board Member, National Endowment for Democracy, 1990
• Member, Commission on America in the New World, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1990
• Member, Governor’s (TX) Task Force on Revenues, 1991
• Deputy Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 1991 – 1992
• Board Member, Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation, 1991-1992
• Board Member, The American Assembly, 1991 – 1992
• President Clinton Transition Committees, 1992 – 1993 and 1996 – 1997
• Vice-Chairman, President Clinton’s Summit for America's Future (Summit on Volunteerism), 1997^[46]
• Co-Founder, New America Alliance, 1999^[47]
• Chairman, Rand Corporation Sub-Committee on Urban Education, 2000
• Member, Board of Directors, KB Home, 2000 – 2003
• Board Member, Countrywide Financial Corporation, 2000 – 2007
• Board Member, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, 2000 – present^[48]
• Member, Development Committee, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2000 – present
• Member, Fannie Mae National Advisory Council, 2001
• Chairman, Every Texan Foundation, 2001
• Trustee, American Film Institute, 2001
• Chairman, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2001 – 2003
• Senior Advisor and Board Member, Enterprise Community Investment, 2001 – present^[49]
• Board Member, Institute for a Competitive Inner City, 2002
• Member, Advisory Committee, Harvard University, School of Education, 2002 – 2004
• Member, Board of Visitors, Claremont Graduate University, 2002 – 2005
• Member, Advisory Committee, UCLA School of Public Policy, 2002 – 2006
• Chairman and Co-Founder, American Sunrise Communities, 2002 – present^[50]
• Board Member, Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, 2002 – present
• Investor, Ventana Communities, 2003 – 2007
• Jury Member, The Broad Prize for Urban Education, 2003 – present^[51]
• Vice Chairman, Executive Committee, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, 2003 – present
• Board Member, Avanzar Interior Technologies, Joint Venture with Johnson Controls, 2003 – present
• Board Member, The Broad Foundation, 2004 – present^[52]
• Board Member, After-School All-Stars, 2004 – present^[53]
• Board Member, Merage Foundation for the American Dream, 2004 – present^[54]
• Board Member, New Democratic Network, 2004 – present
• Board Member, National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2004 – present^[55]
• Member, Freddie Mac Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee, 2005
• Board Member, National Smart Growth Council, 2005 – present
• Chairman, BioMed SA, 2005 – present^[56]
• Member, Homes for Working Families, 2005 – present
• Board Member, National Children’s Health Forum, 2005 – present^[57]
• Board Member, Live Nation, 2005 – 2007
• Advisory Board Member, The Raul Yzaguirre Policy Institute, 2006 – present^[58]
• Advisory Board Member, TMC (Teaching & Mentoring Communities), formerly Texas Migrant Council, 2006 – present^[59]
• Board Member, Capital One Community Renewal Fund, 2007
• Trustee, Strong American Schools, 2007
• Advisory Board Member, UCLA School of Public Affairs, 2007
• Chairman, Technical Advisory Committee, Office of Recovery Development and Administration, New Orleans, 2007 – present^[60]
• Chairman, Our Pledge, 2007 – present
• Member, Board of Councilors, University of Southern California, School of Policy, Planning, and Development, 2007 – present^[61]
• Board Member, Univision, 2007 – present^[62]
• Advisory Board Member, United States Program Advisory Panel, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2007 – present^[63]
• Co-Chair, The National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, 2008^[64]
• Member, Leadership Advisory Council, Partnership for Sustainable Communities, 2009^[65]

• CityView homepage
• Biography
• Collection of articles from the Washington Post about the Cisneros investigation
• Office of Independent Counsel David Barret
• NY Times Article