President Bush’s choice to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has ties to Missouri. Alphonso Jackson, a long-time friend of the President, attended college in Missouri. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Truman State University in Kirksville and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He was the Director of Public Safety for St. Louis from 1977 to 1981 and was in charge of the St. Louis Housing Authority from 1981 to 1983. Jackson needs Senate confirmation before becoming HUD Secretary. He would succeed Mel Martinez, who resigned to return home to Florida where he is expected to run for the U.S. Senate.
