Bill Richardson, a seasoned Democratic politician and former US ambassador to the UN who subsequently worked for decades to negotiate the release of Americans held abroad, has passed away at age 75, according to his acquaintances.
Richardson, who was previously the governor of New Mexico and the US secretary of energy, died peacefully in his sleep on Friday night, according to a statement from the Richardson Center for Global Engagement.
One of the most prominent Latinos in US politics was Richardson.
He gained notoriety for engaging in risky face-to-face confrontations with strongmen leaders on the US pariah list, such as the late presidents of Cuba and Venezuela, Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein, and cemented his image as the “Indiana Jones” of US diplomacy.
In a statement, President Joe Biden recalled Richardson’s efforts “to free Americans held in some of the most dangerous places on Earth.” “He’d meet with anyone, fly anywhere, do whatever it took,” Biden added.
“These are just a few of the dozens of people that Bill helped bring home,” Biden said. “American workers held by Saddam Hussein, American pilots captured by North Korea, and Red Cross employees imprisoned by Sudanese rebels.”
Richardson most recently took part in the initiatives that resulted in the December release of US basketball player Brittney Griner from a Russian jail after she was found guilty of a drug charge.
The Richardson Center stated in a statement that “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.”
The titan
Democratic congressman from New Mexico Gabe Vasquez was one of many paying respect to their late colleague and mentor.
Vasquez said on the platform now known as X that “Governor Bill Richardson was a titan in New Mexico and abroad… one of the most influential Hispanics in politics this country has seen.”
Privately, US officials often voiced their frustration with Richardson’s independent advocacy and their worry that it may undercut their own efforts.
However, according to the Richardson Center, “there was no one that Governor Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom.”
Political weaponslinger
Richardson, a Mexican mother and an American father, was born on November 15, 1947. He quickly shown a talent for baseball and the Kansas City Royals selected him as a pitcher.
Richardson got a Master’s degree at Tufts University’s renowned Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy after deciding on a professional sports career.
Richardson was the first Latino to make a brief run for the US president in the Democratic primary elections of 2007, which ultimately produced Barack Obama as the party’s nominee.
Richardson supported Obama, but when a federal probe into campaign funding scuttled his candidacy as his commerce secretary in 2009, he decided to remove his name from consideration.
Richardson earned a reputation as a diplomatic gunslinger over time.
He had some remarkable victories and some failures when it came to releasing hostages or inmates detained overseas.
Sometimes, rights advocates who charged him with endorsing undesirable regimes criticized him for his collaboration with authoritarian authorities.
Richardson previously told AFP, “I don’t legitimize governments. “I’m just one person trying to change things,” I said.