Bill Richardson

William Blaine "Bill" Richardson III (English: William Blaine "Bill" Richardson III, November 15, 1947 - September 1, 2023), an American Democratic politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, the United States Secretary of Energy, and the Governor of New Mexico. He once competed for the Democratic candidate nomination in the 2008 US presidential election, but announced his withdrawal on January 9, 2008. On December 2, 2008, he was nominated by then President Barack Obama to serve as Secretary of Commerce. On January 4, 2009, Richardson resigned from the nomination of President-elect Obama as Secretary of Commerce after being investigated by the New Mexico Department of Justice for accepting bribes. Richardson has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts through diplomatic channels to successfully free numerous U.S. personnel and other wrongfully detained individuals around the world.