Personality Spotlight: Bill Richardson

CHICAGO, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a one-time rival of Barack Obama, now is the president-elect's choice to run the Commerce Department.

If his nomination is approved, Richardson, the first Hispanic candidate seeking the Democratic Party presidential nod, would make a return trip to Washington. He was a U.S. congressman representing New Mexico and an energy secretary under former President Bill Clinton, as well as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nation during the Clinton era.

After Richardson dropped out of the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, he endorsed Obama, touching off criticism from supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, who also was seeking the party nomination.

The 61-year-old Richardson also has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the release of hostages, American servicemen and political prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba, Wikipedia said.

Richardson earned his undergraduate degree from Tufts university in 1970, majoring in French and political science. He also earned a master's degree in international affairs from Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971. He is married to Barbara Flavin.

After his work in the Clinton administration, Richardson held several educational and corporate positions.

Richardson was elected governor of New Mexico in 2002, defeating Republican candidate John Sanchez, 56 percent to 39 percent. During the campaign, he set a Guinness World Record for most handshakes in eight hours by a politician, breaking Theodore Roosevelt's record, the online encyclopedia said.

As governor in 2005, Richardson made New Mexico the first state in the nation to provide $400,000 in life insurance coverage for New Mexico National Guardsmen who serve on active duty. Thirty-five states have since followed suit.

In 2006, Forbes credited Richardson's reforms in naming Albuquerque the best city in the United States for business and careers. The Cato Institute consistently rated Richardson as one of the most fiscally responsible Democratic governors in the nation.