Bill Richardson (politician)

William Blaine "Bill" Richardson (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He has served as a Congressman, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and U.S. Secretary of Energy; he is presently the Governor of New Mexico. He was also chairman of the 2004 Democratic National Convention that nominated John Kerry for the presidency.

Early life and career

Richardson was born in Pasadena, California. His mother, Maria Luisa Lopez-Collada, was Mexican. His father was a native of Boston, who worked for Citibank as an executive in Mexico. He was raised in Mexico City, but as a teenager attended a Boston-area high school. Richardson played baseball in high school at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts and was a fine pitcher. He was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics but did not pursue baseball professionally. Richardson went on to Tufts University, where he majored in French and political science and was a brother of Delta Tau Delta. He then added a master's degree from Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He met his wife, Barbara Flavin, in Boston.

Related Topics:
Pasadena, California - Boston - Citibank - Mexico - Mexico City - Baseball - Middlesex School - Concord, Massachusetts - Pitcher - Kansas City Athletics - Tufts University - Political science - Delta Tau Delta - Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy - Barbara Flavin

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After college, he worked on congressional relations for the State Department. He was later a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 1978, he moved to Santa Fe and ran for Congress, losing to longtime 1st District congressman and former Department of Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan. Four years later, Richardson was elected to New Mexico's newly created third district taking in most of the northern part of the state.

Related Topics:
State Department - Senate Foreign Relations Committee - 1978 - Santa Fe - Congress - Department of Interior - Manuel Lujan

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Richardson spent a little more than 14 years in Congress, never facing a truly serious opponent in the heavily Democratic 3rd District. As a congressman, he kept his interest in foreign relations. He visited Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, India, North Korea, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and the Sudan to represent U.S. interests. In 1995 he travelled to Baghdad with Peter Bourne and personally shook hands with Saddam Hussein. He became a member of the Democratic leadership where he worked closely with Bill Clinton on several issues.

Related Topics:
Nicaragua - Guatemala - Cuba - Peru - India - North Korea - Bangladesh - Nigeria - The Sudan - Baghdad - Peter Bourne - Saddam Hussein - Bill Clinton

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In 1997, Clinton appointed him as U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He served there until 1998, when he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Energy. He served there for the remainder of the Clinton administration. In July 2005, Richardson was implicated in the Wen Ho Lee scandal; it was alleged by a Federal judge that Richardson leaked Lee's name to reporters months before the scientist was charged with any crime. At the very least, as Energy Secretary, Richardson fired Lee with no proof of wrongdoing. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1093647,00.htmlhttp://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=20067http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2000/09/13/lee/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/law.and.politics/09/26/freeh.lee/

Related Topics:
1997 - U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations - 1998 - U.S. Secretary of Energy - 2005 - Wen Ho Lee

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