According to a statement released by the Richardson Institute for Global Engagement on Friday, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson passed away. Richardson was a prominent figure in the Democratic Party for a long time and served in the administration of Bill Clinton in the roles of Energy Secretary as well as United Nations Ambassador. His age was 75.
At his vacation home in Massachusetts, Richardson passed away peacefully in his sleep.
He devoted his entire life to assisting other people, particularly his time spent working for the government and his later work assisting in the rescue of individuals held as hostages or who had been unfairly jailed in other countries. Mickey Bergman, the executive director of the Richardson Center, stated in a statement that there was no one that Governor Richardson could not speak with if it carried the potential of releasing a person to freedom.
I have lost a great friend and a mentor in this person, and the world is missing a fighter for individuals who are held unjustly in foreign countries.
In an ensemble statement, Bill Clinton, the former president, and past Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Richardson as a dedicated public servant as well as an accomplished diplomat. The statement was issued in honor of Richardson.
According to the two persons, regardless of whether he was acting in an unofficial or official role, he was a skilled and relentless negotiator who contributed to making our globe a safer place and won the freedom of many individuals incarcerated unjustly in other countries.
In a similar vein, Vice President Joe Biden lauded Richardson for his patriotism and authenticity as an original.
In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden said, “Over many years, I saw personally his enthusiasm for politics, devotion to America, and unwavering belief that people are capable of coming together across any divide, no matter how vast.” “I saw firsthand his enthusiasm for politics, devotion for America, and unwavering belief that with tolerance and good belief, individuals can come united across any distinction, no issue how vast.”
Richardson started his political career on a serious note as an assistant to Frank Bradford Morse, who was the representative for Massachusetts at the time. After that, in the 1970s, Richardson worked as an employee for the United States State Department along with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In 1983, he won his first election to the United States House of Representatives to represent New Mexico’s Third Congressional District. After that, Richardson held positions as the US envoy to the UN and the secretary of petroleum before running for and winning the governorship of the state of New Mexico in the year 2002. Before stepping down in 2011, he had completed two terms in office.
Following a failed run for the office of president in 2008, Richardson established the Richardson Institute for Global Engagement around 2011, which is a non-profit organization working for the promotion of international peace.
Richardson and the center that bears his name had been involved in private advocacy for the families of captives and detainees located in other countries. The previous year, he made the trip to Moscow and conducted negotiations with the Russian government to discuss the extradition of former US Soldier Paul Whelan and professional basketball player Brittney Griner.
On Saturday, Secretary of Commerce Antony Blinken stated that Richardson has devoted his whole life to the service of the public.
He was motivated by a fervent confidence in the potential of diplomacy, whether he was within or outside of administration, according to a statement released by the highest diplomat in the United States. He set an illustrative example for public employees of the future by demonstrating the importance of participation and paving the way for an inspiring career path.
In a post that he made on X, which was formerly known as Twitter, US Presidential Special Representative for Hostage Issues Roger Carstens offered condolences to the family on Saturday.
Carstens expressed his deepest condolences to the Richardson family, as well as to Mickey Bergman as well as the rest of the staff at the Richardson Institute for Global Engagement. He also included a photo of Bergman along with Richardson in the press release and posted it alongside the statement he issued.
Both Griner and Whelan were held captive at the same time, and Carstens and Richardson collaborated on efforts to free the hostages, including those that were connected to their detention.
I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the innumerable people that Governor Richardson as well as his Center were able to assist, to express our tremendous feeling of grief at his passing. In a statement released on Saturday, Neda Sharghi, chairwoman of the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, which included said the following. The Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, has been a staunch supporter of equality for all and the movement to bring people who are being imprisoned unjustly overseas back home.
An American citizen named Matthew Heath, who was wrongly jailed in Venezuela, stated that “even though I did not know [Richardson], he relentlessly, selflessly, relentlessly fought for my liberation.” Heath was referring to Richardson’s efforts to free him.
He made a passionate plea for my freedom as well as the liberty of other Americans. According to what Heath shared with CNN on Saturday, his facility offered my family countless hours’ worth of support while I was being held in custody. While I was being held captive, knowing that a force natural like Governor Richardson was working with the highest echelons of both governments shone a light of hope for me. The loss of Governor Richardson is comparable to the snuffing out of a light on this planet.
Richardson arrived in the year 1947 in the city of Pasadena, in the state of California. He spent his childhood in Mexico City, Mexico, before moving to Massachusetts in 1960 to go to boarding school there.
In 1970, he graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor’s degree in political theory and French, and in 1971, he graduated with a master’s degree in law and politics from Tufts’ Fletcher School of Law as well as Diplomacy.
In 1972, he wed Barbara Richardson, and the couple eventually had a daughter.
