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Breaking News: Former US Ambassador Bill Richardson’s Remarkable Life

Breaking News: Former US Ambassador Bill Richardson's Remarkable Life

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Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN, passed away at the age of 75, according to his foundation.

He gained respect while working for President Bill Clinton for his dedication to securing the release of American nationals held abroad.

In order to discuss the release of the imprisoned basketball player Britney Griner, he traveled to Moscow last year to continue his job outside of politics.

Mr. Richardson was praised by Mr. Clinton as a “masterful” negotiator.

“Bill worked tirelessly for the causes of freedom, fairness, and opportunity,” Mr. Clinton said in a statement on Saturday night.

Whether acting in an official or unofficial position, he was a skilled and tenacious negotiator who improved global security and secured the release of numerous people who were being detained against their will abroad.

Mr. Richardson, who was born in 1947 in Pasadena, California, to a mother of Spanish descent and a father from Nicaragua, spent his early years in Mexico City before going to boarding school in Massachusetts.

He received a master’s degree in 1971 after leaving Tufts University in 1970. Soon after, he began a political career that would see him hold important national and state-level roles.

He was chosen to represent New Mexico’s Third District in the US House in 1983.

His expertise in diplomatic discussions during the course of the following five decades in politics led President Clinton to appoint him as his representative to the UN in 1997.

He was Mr. Clinton’s energy secretary the following year, staying until the conclusion of the administration.

When he was elected governor of New Mexico in 2002, he became the only Hispanic governor of a US state. He was re-elected to a second term in 2006 by a record margin of 68% to 32%, demonstrating his continued popularity in the state.

Mr. Richardson’s tenure as governor, according to Mr. Clinton, cemented his reputation as a “trailblazer,” and his “career helped pave the path for other Latino Americans to serve at the highest levels of American government,” he said in a statement.

As a result of the resurgence of interest in politics following his election to office, he began an improbable campaign for the Democratic Party candidacy in the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election.

Despite having a significant part in Mr. Clinton’s cabinet, many Clinton supporters saw his public support for Barack Obama rather than Hilary Clinton after his withdrawal as a betrayal.

Later, Mr. Obama nominated him for the position of secretary of commerce, but he later withdrew his nomination due to an ongoing investigation into claims of questionable business practices. The investigation was later abandoned.

In 2011, shortly after resigning as governor, he established the Richardson Centre for Global Engagement, a non-profit organization where he redoubled his efforts to secure the release of imprisoned Americans.

In December, when Brittney Griner had been found guilty of a narcotics offense and imprisoned in Russia, he helped to arrange her release.

In the months before US Marine Trevor Reed was released in a prisoner swap, he also had meetings with representatives of the Russian government.

Additionally, in 2021, he assisted in arranging Danny Fenster’s release from a Myanmar prison.

In the past, he worked to secure the release of US citizens held captive in North Korea. He also had diplomatic discussions with Pyongyang in an effort to defuse tensions between the two Koreas.

He once made fun of himself by referring to himself as “the informal under secretary for thugs” due to his job dealing with dictatorial countries. But because of his work, he was often nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

He was lauded as a “champion for those held unjustly abroad” by The Richardson Centre.

The organization 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.”

There was no one Governor Richardson would refuse to talk with if it meant a chance at freedom for someone.

Mr. Richardson was honored by US President Joe Biden, who described him as “a patriot and true original.”

Few have served our country in as many roles or with as much tenacity, imagination, and good humor, according to Mr. Biden. “The work Bill did to free Americans imprisoned in some of the most dangerous places on Earth will be his most enduring legacy,” says the author.

He was greatly missed, Mr. Biden said.

Mr. Richardson was praised by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez as “a quintessential public servant in every sense of the word.”

“He was committed to bettering the lives of those around him, whether it was the people of New Mexico as our country’s sole Hispanic governor during his two terms or many Americans wrongfully imprisoned by despotic regimes around the world,” says the biography of the guy.

Martin Heinrich, a senator from New Mexico, responded to the news of the top diplomat’s passing by saying: “Richardson’s legacy will have a lasting impact.”

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