Bill Richardson, a former Democratic governor of New Mexico who went on to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has died. He was 75.

Richardson died in his sleep at his summer home in Chatham, Mass., the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, a nonprofit foundation started by the former governor, confirmed on Saturday.

Before he was elected as governor in 2002, and later ran an unsuccessful bid as the first Latino U.S. presidential nominee, Richardson served 14 years as a congressman representing northern New Mexico. Under President Bill Clinton, he served as U.N. ambassador and energy secretary.

After his career in government, he cemented his legacy as an unofficial diplomat through his volunteer work in securing the release of Americans detained overseas.

“He lived his entire life in the service of others,” Mickey Bergman, vice president of the Richardson Center, said in a statement. “The world has lost a champion for those held unjustly abroad and I have lost a mentor and a dear friend.”

Richardson sought the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination but dropped out of the race after placing fourth in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. He then backed Obama, who as president-elect named Richardson as his secretary of commerce. Richardson withdrew as a nominee for the post amid a federal investigation into an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving campaign contributions in exchange for a state contract. The probe ended with no charges against Richardson and his former aides.

As a public servant, he also made his mark as a pro handshaker. During his 2002 gubernatorial race, Richardson set a Guinness World Record — one that still stands — for shaking 13,392 hands in eight hours while on the campaign trail. READ MORE