Bill Richardson family: Meet his children and wife

Bill Richardson’s family will be discussed in this report as we drop information about his children and wife. His father was William Blaine Richardson Jr. while his mother was María Luisa López-Collada Márquez. Richardson is survived by his wife, Barbara, and a daughter.

Who is Bill Richardson?

Bill Richardson was a distinguished American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He also held several high-profile positions in the Clinton administration, including U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary, as well as serving as a U.S. congressman, chairman of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

In December 2008, Richardson was nominated for the cabinet-level position of Secretary of Commerce in the first Obama administration. However, he withdrew a month later due to an investigation into possible improper business dealings in New Mexico. Although the investigation was later dropped, it had a negative impact on Richardson’s popularity and influence as his second and final term as New Mexico governor came to a close.

Throughout his career, Richardson provided valuable advice on diplomatic issues related to North Korea and made several visits to the nation in an effort to secure the release of American detainees. He also completed numerous private humanitarian missions, including one that resulted in the release of U.S. journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison in November 2021.

Richardson was born in Pasadena, California, and spent his formative years in the borough of Coyoacán in Mexico City. His father, William Blaine Richardson Jr., was an American bank executive of Anglo-American and Mexican descent, while his mother, María Luisa López-Collada Márquez, was his father’s secretary and the daughter of a Mexican mother and a Spanish father from Villaviciosa, Asturias. Richardson’s father was born on a ship en route to Nicaragua.

Bill Richardson age and career

Bill was born on November 15, 1947, and died on September 1, 2023. Following his graduation from college, Richardson gained valuable experience working for Republican Congressman F. Bradford Morse from Massachusetts. He then went on to serve as a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During the Nixon administration, Richardson played a pivotal role in congressional relations for the Henry Kissinger State Department.

In 1978, Richardson relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he ran for the House of Representatives in 1980 as a Democrat. Although he narrowly lost to longtime 1st District representative and future United States Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan (R), Richardson persevered and was elected to New Mexico’s newly created third district two years later.

Over the course of his 14-year tenure in Congress, Richardson represented the country’s most diverse district and held an impressive 2,000 town meetings. Richardson’s leadership abilities were recognized by his peers, and he was appointed Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the 98th Congress (1983–1985) and Chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Native American Affairs in the 103rd Congress (1993–1994).

Throughout his career, Richardson sponsored a number of important bills, including the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments, the Indian Dams Safety Act, the Tribal Self-Governance Act, and the Jicarilla Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act.