Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who dedicated his post-political career to seeking to liberate Americans imprisoned abroad, died on Monday. He was 75.
Bill Richardson dies at aged 75 (Photo: The New York Times)
Bill Richardson died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, according to the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded and directed.
In the recent published article by Politico, Bill Richardson served as U.N. Ambassador before being elected governor in 2002. President Bill Clinton appointed Bill Richardson as ambassador and energy secretary, and he represented northern New Mexico in Congress for 14 years.
Richardson also traversed the world as an unofficial ambassador, negotiating the release of hostages and American service members held by North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan. Bill Richardson negotiated with America’s opponents, including Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein. Bill Richardson liked the job, once referring to himself as “the informal undersecretary for thugs.”
Bill Richardson sought for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, hoping to become the country’s first Hispanic president. Bill Richardson had a stellar resume and a lot of expertise in foreign and domestic affairs. He withdrew out of the race after finishing fourth in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries.
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During Bill Richardson two years as a governor, he was the country’s only Hispanic governor in which he described as “the best job I ever had.”
According to ABC News, Bill Richardson signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in the year 2009 as a governor. Bill Richardson named it as the most difficult decision in his political life since he had previously supported the death penalty. His other achievements as a governor include $50,000-a-year minimum payment for New Mexico’s most qualified teachers and a raise in the state minimum wage.
Furthermore, one of Bill Richardson most notable global efforts began December 1994, when he visited North Korean nuclear sites and learned that an American helicopter pilot had been shot down and his co-pilot had been killed.
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