Bill Richardson, a former Democratic governor of New Mexico and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has passed away at the age of 75. Richardson dedicated his post-political career to working towards freeing Americans who were detained overseas. He founded and led the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which announced his death. Throughout his career, Richardson negotiated the release of hostages and American servicemen from countries such as North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan. He also ran for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. Richardson was known for his accomplishments as governor, including repealing the death penalty and enacting various social and infrastructure reforms in New Mexico. He had a reputation for being aggressive and was criticized for his administrative style, but his friends and supporters praised his relentlessness and determination. After dropping out of the presidential race, Richardson endorsed Barack Obama despite his friendship with the Clintons. Richardson later faced a federal investigation into an alleged pay-to-play scheme, but no charges were filed. He also had a troubled tenure as energy secretary due to a scandal involving missing nuclear weapons secrets. Richardson was born in California but grew up in Mexico City. He moved to New Mexico in 1978 and entered politics, serving in Congress and later joining the Clinton administration.
