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Bill Richardson, a public life in photos, 1947-2023

Cigar chomping, dancing, baseball hurling also part of the Richardson vibe

Then-New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Then-New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call)
By Jason Dick
Posted September 5, 2023 at 3:29pm

Corrected 6:57 p.m. | When Bill Richardson died on Sept. 1, he left behind a legacy in public life that stretched from his time as a staffer on Capitol Hill for Rep. Frank Bradford Morse, R-Mass., to being elected eight times to the House as a Democrat from New Mexico, stints as President Bill Clinton’s United Nations ambassador and Energy secretary, two terms as New Mexico governor and a wild, unprecedented side gig as a kind of private diplomat who helped secure the release of American hostages in North Korea, Russia and other global hot spots. A gregarious retail politician, he was also a heck of a baseball player, making him a regular participant in the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

Then-Rep. Richardson, D-N.M., works out at a baseball practice for an upcoming Congressional Baseball game in the early 1990s. (Marty La Vor/CQ Roll Call archives)
Then-Energy Secretary Richardson testifies in 1999 during a joint hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on a defense bill, which requires the creation of a National Nuclear Security Administration within the Department of Energy. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call)
Then-Rep. Richardson as a masked man on Nov. 6, 1988. (Stephen Rosenberg/CQ Roll Call)
Then-Rep. Richardson congratulates Rep. William Huston Natcher, D-Ky., on his milestone 18,000th House vote in 1994. (Chris Martin/CQ Roll Call)
Then-Rep. Richardson and cigar, out on the dance floor at the 28th Annual Democratic Congressional dinner on April 29, 1991. (Jamie Howren/CQ Roll Call)
Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., right, talks with Richardson after a meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building on Oct. 6, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

This report was corrected to reflect the location of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

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