Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Passes

WASHINGTON - Bill Richardson, who served as the Democratic governor of New Mexico for two terms and represented the United States as an ambassador to the United Nations, passed away at the age of 75. After retiring from politics, Richardson devoted his time to securing the freedom of Americans held captive by foreign foes. His passing was announced by the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, an organization he established and directed, stating that he peacefully passed away in his sleep at his residence in Chatham, Massachusetts.

“He lived his entire life in the service of others — including both his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” said Mickey Bergman, the center’s vice president. “There was no person that Gov. Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom. The world has lost a champion for those held unjustly abroad and I have lost a mentor and a dear friend.”

President Joe Biden praised Richardson for his unwavering commitment to public service and his dedication to securing the freedom of Americans detained abroad. “He’d meet with anyone, fly anywhere, do whatever it took. The multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations he received are a testament to his ceaseless pursuit of freedom for Americans,” Biden remarked in a statement, adding, “So is the profound gratitude that countless families feel today for the former governor who helped reunite them with their loved ones.”

Richardson, before being elected governor in 2002, held significant positions including the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary during Bill Clinton’s presidency, as well as a 14-year tenure as a congressman representing northern New Mexico.

In addition to his official roles, Richardson was known for his unofficial diplomatic efforts as a crisis negotiator. He journeyed worldwide to negotiate the release of hostages and American military personnel from countries like North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan, often engaging with some of the United States’ most notorious adversaries, such as Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Richardson embraced this role, once humorously referring to himself as “the informal undersecretary for thugs.”

“I believe that we have to engage our adversaries no matter how different our philosophies are,” Richardson once said. “The way you deal with issues that divide nations is through humanitarian efforts before political differences. I think that is fundamental.”

Richardson played a crucial role in the 2021 release of American journalist Danny Fenster from a prison in Myanmar and, in the same year, negotiated the liberation of Taylor Dudley, who had crossed from Poland into Russia. He engaged with Russian government officials in the months leading up to the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed in a prisoner exchange last year. Additionally, he was involved in the cases of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star released by Moscow last year, and Michael White, a Navy veteran freed by Iran in 2020.

Roger Carstens, the chief hostage negotiator for the U.S. government, characterized Richardson as “a friend and partner in bringing wrongfully detained Americans and hostages home” and expressed in a statement on Saturday that he would “miss his wise counsel and friendship.”

With an impressive background and extensive expertise in both foreign and domestic matters, Richardson ran for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, aspiring to become the first Hispanic president of the United States. However, he withdrew from the race after performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

During his two terms as governor, Richardson was the only Hispanic governor in the United States, a role he referred to as “the best job I ever had.”

“It’s the most fun. You can get the most done. You set the agenda,” he noted.

While serving as governor, he signed a bill in 2009 that abolished the death penalty, a decision he described as the “most difficult decision in my political life” since he had previously been a proponent of capital punishment. His other notable achievements as governor included implementing a minimum salary of $50,000 per year for the most qualified teachers in New Mexico and raising the state’s minimum wage.

Richardson’s significant global efforts commenced in December 1994, during a visit to North Korean nuclear facilities when he received news that an American helicopter pilot had been captured and his co-pilot killed. The Clinton administration sought Richardson’s assistance, and following several days of intense negotiations, he escorted the body of Chief Warrant Officer David Hilemon back to the U.S., while also facilitating the return of Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Hall.

In the subsequent year, after a direct request from Richardson, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein released two Americans who had been jailed for four months on charges of illegally entering Iraq from Kuwait.

Richardson continued his unofficial diplomatic efforts even while serving as governor. Shortly after beginning his first term, he met with two North Korean representatives in Santa Fe and later traveled to North Korea in 2007 to retrieve the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.

In 2006, he convinced Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to release Paul Salopek, an American journalist who had won the Pulitzer Prize.

In an August interview with The Associated Press, Richardson expressed pride in his efforts to secure the release of dozens of individuals over the years and in his support for the Navajo Nation.

Together with former Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah, Richardson established a fund to provide the Navajo Nation with supplies and equipment needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative supplied personal protective equipment, food, water, and hundreds of pairs of shoes to Navajo students in the state.

“The Navajo people and our New Mexico communities suffered some tough losses, but we continue working to help the Navajo Nation overcome this pandemic,” Gov. Richardson said. “It takes all of us working together to protect our families, and I’m grateful to many friends and donors who contributed to the Fund so we can do more.”

Richardson was informed by Navajo Nation Police and teachers that during the lockdown, Navajo children on the 27,000 square-mile reservation were in need of shoes. In response, the Fund collaborated with the NB3 Foundation, founded by Navajo golfer Notah Begay III, to obtain a 50% discount on shoes.

They then purchased shoes for students in several locations including Crownpoint, Wingate, Torreon, Red Lake, Manuelito, Shiprock, Sheep Springs, Tohatchi, Sawmill, Fort Defiance, Crystal, Lake Valley, Albuquerque, and Thoreau. Additionally, the Fund provided shoes for children in two orphanages.

Governor Richardson collaborated with Navajo Nation Council delegates, the Cherokee Nation, school and police officials, and Navajo shoe designer Lacey Trujillo from Fruitland, New Mexico. Trujillo, who designs shoes for tennis icons Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Naomi Osaka at Nike World Headquarters, assisted in selecting shoes and made a contribution to the project.

Richardson had a significant impact on the political dynamics in New Mexico by injecting record amounts of money into his campaigns, introducing Washington-style politics to a laid-back western state with a part-time legislature. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers complained that Richardson threatened retaliation against those who opposed him. Former Democratic state Senator Tim Jennings of Roswell once commented that Richardson was “beating people over the head” in his interactions with lobbyists on a healthcare issue. Richardson, however, rejected the criticisms of his administrative approach.

“Admittedly, I am aggressive. I use the bully pulpit of the governorship,” Richardson acknowledged. “But I don’t threaten retribution. They say I am a vindictive person. I just don’t believe that.”

Close friends and supporters partly credited Richardson’s success to his tenacity. Bob Gallagher, the head of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, remarked that if Richardson wanted something accomplished, one should “expect him to have a shotgun at the end of the hallway. Or a ramrod.”

In a statement, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, characterized Richardson as a visionary who recognized the potential of New Mexico before others did. “New Mexico, our country, and, frankly, the entire world lost a champion today. Bill Richardson was a titan among us, fighting for the little guy, world peace, and everything in between.”

After exiting the 2008 presidential race, Richardson endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, despite his long-standing friendship with the Clintons. Obama subsequently nominated Richardson for the position of Secretary of Commerce. However, Richardson withdrew his nomination in early 2009 due to a federal investigation into an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving his administration in New Mexico. The investigation concluded without any charges being filed against Richardson or his former top aides.

Richardson’s term as Energy Secretary was marred by a scandal involving missing computer equipment containing nuclear weapons secrets at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the government’s investigation and prosecution of former nuclear weapons scientist Wen Ho Lee.

Richardson approved Lee’s dismissal from Los Alamos in 1999. Lee was later placed in solitary confinement for nine months, charged with 59 counts of mishandling sensitive information. Eventually, he pleaded guilty to a single count of mishandling computer files and was released with an apology from a federal judge.

William Blaine Richardson was born in Pasadena, California but spent his childhood in Mexico City, raised by a Mexican mother and an American father who worked as a U.S. bank executive.

He attended a prep school in Massachusetts and excelled as a baseball player. He then enrolled in Tufts University and its graduate school of international relations, ultimately earning a master’s degree in international affairs.

In 1978, after working as a Capitol Hill staffer, Richardson relocated to New Mexico with aspirations of entering politics. He believed that New Mexico, with its Hispanic heritage, would be an ideal location. He ran for Congress just two years later, which marked his only electoral defeat.

In 1982, Richardson secured a newly created congressional seat from northern New Mexico, which the state acquired through reapportionment. He left Congress in 1997 to serve as the U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration and was appointed Secretary of Energy in 1998, a position he held until the end of Clinton’s presidency.