Biography
American politician,
Governor of New Mexico from 2002, Chairman of the Democratic National
Convention in Boston in July 2004, and Presidential hopeful for the 2008
election.
Richardson grew up in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of an American father
who was a Citibank executive working there and a Mexican mother, who was
from a privileged family. As a teenager, he attended a US prep school. A
talented baseball pitcher in high school, he was drafted by the Kansas
City (now Oakland) Athletics. His father, however, convinced him that
college would be a better choice. A year later, with an elbow injury, he
was grateful that his father had been so practical. Richardson graduated
from Tufts University in 1970 with a major in political science. A year
later, he graduated from Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
with a master's in international affairs and, on a field trip to the
U.S. Senate, was inspired by Hubert Humphrey to enter politics. Moving
to Washington, DC, he landed a job as a staff person in the House of
Representatives. A year later, he moved on to the staff of the
Congressional Affairs Office of the US State Department. In 1976 he
enhanced his resumé further by joining the staff of Hubert Humphrey on
the foreign relations subcommittee of the US Senate.
He moved to New Mexico in 1978 and became involved in local politics. In
1980, he made an unsuccessful bid for a congressional seat. Two years
later he was elected to the US House of Representatives and held onto
his seat in the House of Representatives for 14 years. During that time,
he landed membership on prestigious House committees and campaigned
diligently on behalf of Democratic candidates for national office. His
diplomatic efforts brought positive results and favorable reviews, and
he became known for his ability to negotiate in difficult diplomatic
situations. In 1996, President Bill Clinton made Richardson US
ambassador to the United Nations and in 1999 appointed him secretary of
the Department of Energy. A year later, Richardson resigned this
position. Returning to New Mexico, he taught college classes and worked
as a business consultant. On January 12, 2002, he announced his
candidacy for the governor's seat. Claiming the world hand-shaking
record (13,392 in an eight-hour period), he won the election by a
landslide, the largest margin of victory since 1964. He was inaugurated
on January 1, 2003 and has become one of the most popular politicians in
the state.
Richardson married Barbara Flavin in 1972; the couple have no children.
A large, jowly fellow, he is known to be amiable and forthright and
enjoys meeting voters one by one. He makes quite an impression on New
Mexicans when he travels around the state, shaking as many hands as he
can, taking notes on issues raised, and often resorting to affable
physical gestures to make his point. He describes his approach as “What
you see is what you get.” Although he is a savvy politician, he
sometimes trips over his own tongue, blurting out what he thinks instead
of giving the politically correct response. Then he defends himself
against criticism by saying “Hey, I’m honest!” Via e-mail and his
website the Governor of New Mexico announced on January 21, 2007 that he
is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the 2008 US Presidential
race.
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