Bill Richardson, Champion of Americans Held Overseas, Dies at 75
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Bill Richardson, who served two terms as governor of New Mexico and 14 years as a congressman before devoting himself to the cause of Americans who were being held hostage or whom he believed were being wrongfully detained overseas, died on Friday at his summer home in Chatham, Mass., on Cape Cod. He was 75.
His death was announced by the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded. The cause was not given.
Mr. Richardson was ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton.
In 2008, he mounted a short-lived campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and then endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. After winning the presidency, Mr. Obama nominated Mr. Richardson as secretary of commerce, but he withdrew because of a pending investigation into improper business dealings in his home state. That investigation was later dropped.
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RIP Bill, you were an extraordinarily likeable politician.
Indeed and he came of political age at a time when diversity of thought was still an attribute, With a Masters in International Affairs, he first worked for a Repub Congressman and later in Nixon’s State Department. Later in his hostage negotiation days, Gov John Kasich asked him to bring Warmbeir back from NK. The Bush II administration used him the same in Sudan.
He was a fiscally conservative Governor and was effective at working both sides of the aisle to make significant improvements in his state and Albuquerque. He won a second term by an overwhelming margin.
A true public servant.
Yes, he was and his work securing the release of Americans held hostage is more than admirable.
RIP Bill.
He was a good man.