William Blaine "Bill" Richardson III (1947–2023) was a prominent American politician, diplomat, and author. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1997–1998) and as U.S. Secretary of Energy (1998–2000) under President Bill Clinton, overseeing nuclear weapons stockpile management and promoting renewable energy. He was also elected Governor of New Mexico, serving two terms from 2003 to 2011, during which he implemented education reforms, economic development initiatives, and death penalty commutations. Earlier, he represented New Mexico's 3rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms (1980–1997), focusing on Native American rights, environmental issues, and international diplomacy—notably securing the release of hostages and prisoners in countries like North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba.

Born in Pasadena, California, to a Mexican mother and an American father who worked in banking, Richardson spent much of his childhood in Mexico City, where he was raised until age 13, giving him a bilingual upbringing that influenced his lifelong advocacy for U.S.-Mexico relations and immigration reform. He returned to the U.S. for boarding school in Massachusetts and later attended Tufts University. His early career included work as a congressional page and as a journalist covering Latin American affairs for a New Mexico TV station before entering politics.

He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 and later worked as a private consultant and university president. Later in life, Richardson faced significant controversy when he was accused in unsealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking network. In 2019 depositions by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, Richardson was named as one of several high-profile individuals allegedly involved with trafficked underage girls—claims he vehemently denied before his death. No charges were ever filed against him regarding these allegations. Richardson passed away on September 1, 2023, at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, from complications related to late-stage Alzheimer's disease.