Former Democrat New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson passed away at the age of 75.
According to the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, Richardson died in his sleep on Friday night.
Richardson served as Governor from 2003-2011. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1997 and as U.S. Secretary of Energy from 1998-2001. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983-1997.
Bill Richardson, a former two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and later U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has died. He was 75.
The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded, said in a statement Saturday that he died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts.
“Governor Richardson passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. 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 person that Governor Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom. The world has lost a champion for those held unjustly abroad and I have lost a mentor and a dear friend,” said Mickey Bergman, vice president of the Richardson Center.
Governor Richardson has spent a good portion of his life in public service. He also worked to help people even after leaving formal government positions. His organization “The Richardson Center for Global Engagement” has helped millions of families that have been detained abroad mainly through negotiations with foreign parties.