Richardson has spent nearly his entire career as a public servant. A
Democrat from New Mexico, he was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1983 and served until January 1997. As a congressman he
was chief deputy Democratic whip and sat on the Commerce, Intelligence,
and the Resource committees. In February 1997 he became the U.S.
ambassador to the UN, the first Hispanic to hold the position. Known as a
skilled troubleshooter, Richardson traveled to such hot spots as North
Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan, where he successfully negotiated the release
of American hostages. Richardson also mediated discussions between Zaire's
former president Mobutu and rebel leader Laurent Kabila, which resulted in
the fairly peaceful transfer of power in the country that is now known as
the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been nominated for the Nobel
Peace Prize three times.
In 1998, President Clinton appointed him secretary of energy. In that
position, in which he served until 2001, he set aside more than 20,000
acres for wildlife preservation, helped to stem rising oil prices, and
ushered in a program to remove from the Colorado River 10 tons of
radioactive material.
In 2002 Richardson successfully ran for the governorship of New Mexico.
In 2007, he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential
nomination.
Richardson received a BA from Tufts in 1970 and a MA from Tuft's
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971.
