Secretary Julián Castro
Former Mayor of San Antonio and former Secretary for Housing and Urban Development
Julián Castro was the youngest member of President Obama’s cabinet, serving as Secretary for Housing and Urban Development.
Upon his graduation from Harvard law school, Castro ran for a seat on the San Antonio City Council and won, making history as the youngest councilman in the city’s history. He served for several years and then ran for the mayoral seat, which he lost. He ran again for the mayoral seat in 2009 and won, becoming the fifth Hispanic mayor in San Antonio’s history. Under his leadership, the city established Café College, a one-stop center offering high-quality guidance on college admissions, financial aid and standardized test preparation to any student in the San Antonio area. Since opening in 2010, Café College has served more than 25,000 area students.
In March 2010, Castro joined Twitter and Google executives in being named to the World Economic Forum’s list of Young Global Leaders. Soon after, Time magazine placed him on its “40 Under 40” list of rising stars in American politics.
Castro served as the Secretary for Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2017.
Castro announced that he was running for president of the United States on January 12, 2019. He said he achieved universal preschool in San Antonio during his time as mayor and would do the same nationally. Castro has also promoted Medicare for All and housing affordability.
Prior to serving in the Obama administration, Castro was the mayor of San Antonio for five years. He also served on the San Antonio City Council, representing District 7.
Twitter: @JulianCastro
