William "Bill" Richardson (December 26, 1951 – March 25, 1997) was a teacher and politician from Indianola, Mississippi who served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1993 until his death in 1997.
Background and early career
Born December 26, 1951 in Indianola, Richardson was educated in schools of the Indianola School District. He received a bachelor's degree from Mississippi Valley State University, and pursued graduate studies there and at the University of Southern Mississippi. He taught social studies and civics in the Indianola School District for almost 20 years. He was active in various civic organizations, including the National Education Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Legislative career
In 1992, he was elected to the 31st district of the Mississippi State House of Representatives as a Democrat. He served on the Committee on Education, the Committee on Agriculture and the Joint Legislative Parole Commission; and during the legislature's 1995 session was elected sergeant-at-arms of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus. He died of cancer in 1997, and was succeeded in the House by his aunt, Sara Thomas.
References
- Thompson, Bennie G. "Salute to Representative William 'Bill' Richardson" Congressional Record 105th Congress, 1st Session Issue: Vol. 143, No. 46 — Daily Edition April 17, 1997 Extensions of Remarks
- Fowler, Sarah. "Longtime Mississippi lawmaker Sara Richardson Thomas retiring" Mississippi Clarion Ledger June 29, 2018
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- 1951 births
- Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
- People from Indianola, Mississippi
- African-American state legislators in Mississippi
- African-American schoolteachers
- Schoolteachers from Mississippi
- University of Southern Mississippi alumni
- Mississippi Valley State University alumni
- 1997 deaths
- 20th-century African-American politicians
- 20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature
- Mississippi politician stubs