Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson
Richardson in 2006
30th Governor of New Mexico
In office
January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011
LieutenantDiane Denish
Preceded byGary Johnson
Succeeded bySusana Martinez
9th United States Secretary of Energy
In office
August 18, 1998 – January 20, 2001
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byFederico Peña
Succeeded bySpencer Abraham
21st United States Ambassador to the United Nations
In office
February 18, 1997 – August 18, 1998
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byMadeleine Albright
Succeeded byRichard Holbrooke
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1983 – February 13, 1997
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byBill Redmond
Personal details
Born
William Blaine Richardson III

(1947-11-15)November 15, 1947
Pasadena, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 2023(2023-09-01) (aged 75)
Chatham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1972)
EducationTufts University (BA, MA)

William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, a U.S. congressman, chair of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

In December 2008, Richardson was nominated for the cabinet-level position of Secretary of Commerce in the first Obama administration[1] but withdrew a month later, as he was being investigated for possible improper business dealings.[2][3][4] Although the investigation was later dropped, it damaged Richardson's popularity and diminished his influence as his second and final term as New Mexico governor concluded.[5]

Richardson occasionally provided advice on diplomatic issues pertaining to North Korea and visited the nation on several occasions, including efforts to release American detainees.[6] He completed a number of private humanitarian missions, one of which secured the release of U.S. journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison in November 2021.[7]

  1. ^ Crowley, Candy; Ed Hornick; Kristi Keck; Paul Steinhauser (December 3, 2008). "Obama nominates Richardson for Cabinet". CNN. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  2. ^ "Richardson withdrawal leaves cabinet gap". NBC News. January 4, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  3. ^ "Bill Richardson bows out of commerce secretary job". CNN. January 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "Bill Richardson Withdraws as Commerce Secretary-Designate". Fox News. January 4, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  5. ^ McKinley, James (September 11, 2009). "Gov. Richardson's Future Is Again Talk of Santa Fe". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference nyt 160315 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).