Hubert Leon "Bill" Richardson (December 28, 1927 – January 13, 2020) was an American

gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...

activist and former politician who founded

Gun Owners of America Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a gun rights organization in the United States. It makes efforts to differentiate itself from the larger National Rifle Association (NRA) and has publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what it consi ...

(GOA) in 1976 and served as a

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

state senator from 1966 to 1989.

Early life and education

Richardson was born in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, in 1927 and served in the United States Navy in World War II. He attended

Olympic College Olympic College is a public community college in Bremerton, Washington. It opened as Olympic Junior College on September 5, 1946. Olympic College serves Kitsap and Mason counties in Washington. The college's service area contains two major na ...

and the Cornish Conservatory, both in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Career

Richardson's political career began as a member of the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas. T ...

. He was elected to the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

in 1966. During his tenure in the State Senate, Richardson served as the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Caucus Chair for several of these years. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1974, having been defeated by incumbent

Alan Cranston Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as a President of the World Federalist Association from 1949 to 1 ...

. He ran for Congress in 1962, and again in 1992, losing to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Vic Fazio Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...

. Richardson was credited with electing seven members of the California senate between 1978 and 1980. He led a group of organizations, including Gun Owners of America, that spent up to $1 million to elect conservative candidates. Richardson was the author of ''Confrontational Politics,'' a book that has served as a guide for

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

political figures, activists, and organizations.

Personal life

He died on January 13, 2020, at the age of 92.

Bibliography

* ''Slightly to the Right''. Whittier, California: Constructive Action, 1965. * ''What Makes You Think We Read the Bills?'' Ottawa, Illinois: Caroline House, 1978. * ''The Devil's Eye''. Dallas: Word, 1995. * ''The Shadows of Crazy Mountain''. Dallas: Word, 1996. * ''Split Ticket''. Dallas: Word, 1996. * ''Confrontational Politics''. Ventura, California: Nordskog, 2010.

References

External links

GOA biography

Join California H. L. Richardson
1927 births 2020 deaths American gun rights activists Republican Party California state senators Cornish College of the Arts alumni Politicians from Terre Haute, Indiana Military personnel from Indiana United States Navy personnel of World War II Activists from California Candidates in the 1974 United States elections Candidates in the 1992 United States elections 20th-century American politicians John Birch Society members {{California-CASenate-stub