Alphonso Jackson was born on September 9, 1945, in Marshall, Texas. He graduated from Truman State University with a bachelor's degree in political science and later with a master's degree in education administration. He also received a law degree from Washington University School of Law. Jackson became the director of public safety for St. Louis in 1977. He also served as executive director for the St. Louis Housing Authority and as an assistant professor and special assistant to the chancellor at the University of Missouri. Jackson then worked as the director of the Department of Public and Assisted Housing in Washington, D.C. From 1989 until 1996, he was the President and chief executive officer of the Housing Authority of Dallas, Texas. Prior to moving to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, he served as the President of American Electric Power, a large utility company located in Austin, Texas. In 2001, Jackson joined the administration of George W. Bush as HUD's deputy secretary and chief operating officer. In that position, he managed the operations of the agency's $32-billion-dollar budget. President Bush nominated Jackson as secretary of HUD in January 2004, and he was unanimously confirmed as the thirteenth secretary of Housing and Urban Development on March 31, 2004. Secretary Jackson resigned in April 2008.