Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, has died at the age of 75.
The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded and leads, said in a statement Saturday that Richardson passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts.
“She spent her entire life serving others — including her time in government and helping free those held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” Mickey Bergman, the center’s vice president, said in a statement. ” associated Press.
“There was not a man with whom Governor Richardson would not speak if he had promised a man freedom. The world has lost a champion for those unjustly held abroad, and I have lost a mentor and a dear Lost a friend,” he said. to continue.
The Democrat was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year for helping free detained Americans, including WNBA star Brittany Griner, whom she helped free from Russia.
Seth Wenig/AP
Richardson was elected governor in 2002 and served two terms before leaving office in 2011. According to the AP, he was the only Hispanic governor in the country at the time and described the role as “the best job I’ve ever had.”
Prior to becoming governor, Richardson was the United States Ambassador and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton, and served 14 years as a Congressman representing northern New Mexico.
Richardson said the most difficult decision of his political career came in 2009, when he voted to repeal the death penalty after previously supporting capital punishment.
Some notable achievements during his governorship include a $50,000 annual minimum wage for the most qualified teachers in New Mexico, an increase in the minimum wage, pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds, renewable energy requirements for utilities, and large infrastructure projects. including funding for According to AP.