Bill Richardson, a timeline: 1947-2023

Sep. 2—Bill Richardson became New Mexico's 30th governor in January 2003 after 14 years of representing the state's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and serving under President Bill Clinton as United States ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of energy. Here is a timeline of notable developments in his life.

Nov. 15, 1947 — Bill Richardson is born in Pasadena, California, and soon returns to the family home in Mexico City.

August 1960 — Richardson's parents enroll him at Middlesex, a preparatory school in Concord, Mass., where he excels at baseball.

1966 — Richardson enrolls at Tufts University in Boston. He eventually graduates with a master's degree in international diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts in 1971.

1971 — Richardson takes an internship in the office of U.S. Rep. F. Bradford Morse, launching his career in public service. He later becomes a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and then takes a job doing congressional relations at the U.S. State Department.

1972 — Marries Barbara Flavin, his high school sweetheart.

1978 — Richardson moves to Santa Fe and becomes executive director of the New Mexico Democratic Party.

1980 — Richardson runs for New Mexico's 1st District congressional seat, losing narrowly to longtime Republican Rep. Manuel Lujan.

1982 — Richardson is elected to New Mexico's newly created 3rd Congressional District. He spends 14 years in the northern New Mexico House seat. During his tenure in Congress, Richardson served as chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Native American Affairs and as deputy whip for the House Democratic caucus. He also began embarking on overseas diplomatic missions.

1994 — Richardson makes his first trip to North Korea as an envoy of the Clinton administration engaging in nuclear talks with the rogue state.

1995 — Richardson travels to Iraq and successfully negotiates with Saddam Hussein to gain the release of two American prisoners.

1997 — President Clinton names Richardson ambassador of the United Nations.

1998 — Clinton appoints Richardson U.S. energy secretary, a job he holds until 2001

2001 — Richardson joins Washington-based consulting firm Kissinger, McLarty & Richardson.

2002 — Richardson is elected governor of New Mexico, defeating Republican John Sanchez with 56 percent of the vote

2003

JANUARY — Taking control of state government and to make room for his own people, Richardson asks incumbent university regents statewide and other exempt employees to resign. He subsequently orders his appointees to sign letters of resignation that he can invoke at will.

FEBRUARY — Signs a tax cut bill slashing the state's top personal income tax rates from 8.2 percent to 4.9 percent. The tax cut, which is touted as a way to attract businesses to New Mexico and had previously been sought by Republican Gov. Gary Johnson, eventually decreases state revenue by about $360 million annually.

MARCH — Billboard showing Richardson and extolling New Mexico as the "Land of Enchantment" goes up in New York's Times Square. The billboard stays up for six months.

APRIL — Signs law allowing New Mexicans to carry concealed handguns; signs school reform measure that includes three-tier teacher licensing system and minimum annual salaries; issues executive order extending employee benefits to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian state workers.

MAY — Forms new political action committee, Moving America Forward, to help recruit and train Hispanic and American Indian political candidates nationally.

AUGUST — Unveils $1.6 billion highway expansion and reconstruction initiative dubbed Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership that includes widening Interstate 25 to three lanes between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

2004

FEBRUARY — Signs legislation ending New Mexico's imposition of gross receipts tax on groceries. The tax remains on sales of alcohol, tobacco and restaurant meals.

APRIL — Announces that he wants to turn New Mexico into the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy and creates the Clean Energy Development Council.

DECEMBER — Elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

2005

MARCH —Pushes for and approves legislation requiring all convicted drunken drivers to install ignition interlock devices in their vehicles.

JUNE — Launches radio advertisement defending his purchase of a new $5.5 million state jet.

AUGUST — Appoints Beverlee McClure to $150,000-per-year position as state's first secretary of higher education. Post is one of eight new Cabinet positions created under Richardson's watch.

NOVEMBER — Governor's autobiography, "Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life," hits bookstores. Richardson later acknowledges that he was not drafted by the Kansas City Athletics baseball team, as had been widely reported.

DECEMBER — As a precursor to launching the Rail Runner Express commuter train, signs $75 million deal with BNSF Railway to purchase about 300 miles of rail line between Belen and Trinidad, Colo. Hidden costs of $16 million are later identified as necessary to maintain the track.

DECEMBER — Alongside Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson, Richardson announces a plan to build the nation's first commercial spaceport in southern New Mexico.

2006

APRIL — Richardson removes friend and political supporter Guy Riordan, a securities broker, from the state Game Commission after former state Treasurer Michael Montoya testifies in court that he got kickbacks from Riordan in exchange for state business.

SEPTEMBER — Travels to Sudan to successfully win release of imprisoned Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek.

NOVEMBER — Easily elected to a second four-year term as governor, defeating Republican John Dendahl 69 percent to 31 percent.

2007

JANUARY — Richardson announces on Jan. 27 that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in an eight-candidate field that includes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Richardson spends much of the rest of the year outside New Mexico campaigning.

APRIL — Travels to North Korea to urge Pyongyang to shut down a nuclear reactor and bring back the remains of six American soldiers from the Korean War; signs law making New Mexico the 12th state to legalize marijuana for medical reasons.

2008

JANUARY — Richardson drops out of the Democratic presidential race after disappointing showings in traditional bellwether primary states Iowa and New Hampshire — 2 percent in Iowa and 5 percent in New Hampshire — saying, "I gave the best I had."

FEBRUARY — Bill Clinton visits Richardson at Governor's Mansion in Santa Fe on Super Bowl Sunday in apparent effort to secure Richardson's endorsement for Hillary Rodham Clinton.

MARCH — Endorses Barack Obama's presidential bid at a big Obama rally in Portland, Ore. Labeled a "Judas" by Democratic pundit James Carville for not supporting Hillary Clinton's candidacy despite being named U.N. ambassador and energy secretary by Bill Clinton.

NOVEMBER — Richardson meets in Chicago with President-elect Barack Obama, who interviews him about being secretary of state. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is also being considered for the position.

DECEMBER — Dec. 3, 2008: Obama announces his selection of Richardson as commerce secretary, calling him a leading "economic diplomat for America" in troubled times.

Dec. 16, 2008: Following media reports that a federal grand jury is investigating how CDR won its contract, Richardson ducks questions about the company at a news conference.

2009

JANUARY — Richardson withdraws his name from consideration for appointment in Obama's Cabinet, citing an ongoing federal investigation about how a big-money political contributor won lucrative state contracts in New Mexico.

MARCH — Signs bill to repeal the state's death penalty, making New Mexico the nation's 15th state without capital punishment.

AUGUST — U.S. Justice Department announces no charges will be filed against Richardson and two political advisors in connection with the $1.6 billion highway bond deal, but says decision should not be construed as an exoneration.

SEPTEMBER — Richardson's chief of staff, Brian Condit, is at the helm of an 81-foot long houseboat, with the governor aboard, when it crashes into another boat at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.

OCTOBER — State Investment Officer Gary Bland resigns in the face of a no-confidence vote following the disclosure that companies had paid more than $22 million to politically connected insiders to land state investment deals. Richardson had appointed Bland to the position in 2003.

NOVEMBER — Orders about 17,000 state workers to take five unpaid furlough days to help plug a $650 million state budget deficit, perhaps marking the low point of an economic downturn that began in late 2008.

2010

MARCH — Vetoes legislation that would have reimposed a tax on at least some food items. Signs other tax measures, including an increase in the cigarette tax, expected to generate $170 million annually. Also signs bill to overhaul State Investment Council by decreasing the governor's power over the body.

AUGUST — Approval rating in Journal Poll dips to 33 percent. Just two years earlier, 61 percent of likely New Mexico voters said they approved of Richardson's job performance. Orders $150 million in spending cuts due to lower-than-expected revenue levels.

NOVEMBER — Calls Susana Martinez, a Republican, to congratulate her on being elected New Mexico's first female governor. Says Lt. Gov. Diane Denish's defeat wasn't an indictment of his administration.

DECEMBER — Heads to North Korea to meet with North Korean officials in nonofficial effort to ease tensions with South Korea. It is his seventh trip to North Korea.

2011

FEBRUARY — Richardson joined the boards of APCO Worldwide company Global Political Strategies as chairman. He also signs onto a Washington speakers bureau.

NOVEMBER — The Journal reports that a federal grand jury is investigating Richardson over possible campaign-finance violations connected to his 2008 presidential run. The allegations include that he arranged for supporters to pay off a woman who planned to say they had engaged in an extramarital affair.

2014

Richardson, who worked to ban cockfighting, reintroduce wolves and protect wild horses in New Mexico, is named the Humane Society's Humane Horseman of the year.

2017

FEBRUARY — Richardson helped secure the release Fanta Jawara from a prison in Gambia following her arrest during an anti-government protest.

JUNE — Richardson helped the Humane Society reach an agreement to provide the long-term care of 60 chimps in Liberia.

2022

DECEMBER — Richardson helped secure the release of pro-basketball player Brittney Griner released from Russia in prisoner exchange.

2023

JANUARY — Richardson helped secure the release of Navy veteran Taylor Dudley from prison in Russia.

AUGUST — Richardson nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for his role in securing the release of Americans imprisoned abroad.

SEPT. 1 — Richardson died at his summer home in Massachusetts.