NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A two-term governor of New Mexico and a longtime fixture in Democratic politics, Bill Richardson has died at the age of 75. According to the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, Richardson died in his sleep Friday night, September 1, at his summer home in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Richardson was elected as New Mexico’s 30th governor, holding office from 2003 to 2011. Prior to his role as the state’s chief executive, Richardson served as a federal lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1983 through February 1997, representing Northern New Mexico in the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
Following his stint in Congress, Richardson later went on to serve as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Bill Clinton. He then lead the U.S. Department of Energy between 1998 and 2001 through the end of Clinton’s second term.
Richardson’s political career continued beyond his last publicly elected role as New Mexico’s governor. Since 2011, the Democrat has worked through the “Richardson Center for Global Engagement,” often focused on prisoner and hostage release negotiations outside of the United States. Most recently, Richardson was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
In a statement provided by the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, Vice President Mickey Bergman said Richardson “lived his entire life in the service of others.” A cause of death has yet to be released.
“Right now our focus is on supporting his family, including his wife Barbara of over 50 years, who was with him when he passed. We will share further information as it becomes available.”
