Bill Richardson was a two-term governor of New Mexico who later became a private diplomat advocating for Americans unjustly imprisoned while abroad.
- Died: September 1, 2023 (Who else died on September 1?)
- Details of death: Died in Chatham, Massachusetts, at the age of 75.
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Bill Richardson’s legacy
Richardson was born in Pasadena, California, but spent much of his childhood in Mexico City, where his father worked as an executive for Citibank. As a teen, he went to prep school in Concord, Massachusetts, and later played collegiate summer baseball in Cape Cod. In 1971, he earned his master’s in international affairs from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a degree that help set the stage for much of his life to follow.
Richardson moved to New Mexico and ran for Congress in 1980, narrowly losing, then again in 1982, this time winning a seat. He served in Congress until 1997, sponsoring the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments of 1994, Indian Dams Safety Act, and the Tribal Self-Governance Act, among others. As a congressman, Richardson was directly involved in negotiations to bring home several Americans who were prisoners overseas, including two workers who had accidentally crossed into Iraq, an American imprisoned in North Korea, and another taken in Bangladesh. In recognition of his efforts, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times.
After his time in Congress, Richardson briefly served as Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Secretary of Energy. In 2002, he was elected as Governor of New Mexico. He served until 2011, unable to run for a third term due to term limit laws in the state. As governor, he continued his oversea diplomacy efforts.
Court documents unsealed in 2019 revealed that Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring, accused Richardson of being involved. Richardson denied the claims, and he was never considered a target for investigation.
In his later years, Richardson continued to advocate for Americans overseas as a private diplomat, including multiple trips to North Korea via his foundation, the Richardson Center. He was also on the board of such organizations as APCO Worldwide company Global Political Strategies, the World Resources Institute, and the National Council for Science and the Environment, as well as served on the advisory board of the Fuel Freedom Foundation.
Tributes to Bill Richardson
Full obituary: Santa Fe New Mexican
