Richardson, Elliot Lee (1920-1999), held four Cabinet offices, more than any other person in United States history. Richardson, a Republican, served as secretary of health, education, and welfare from 1970 until January 1973, when he became secretary of defense. From May to October 1973, he was attorney general. He served as secretary of commerce in 1976 and 1977.
Richardson resigned as attorney general in protest against President Richard M. Nixon’s order to fire Archibald Cox. Cox was the chief prosecutor in the investigation of the Watergate scandal (see Watergate ). Richardson had appointed Cox to head the investigation and had promised that Cox would have complete independence in the case. But in October, a dispute over the investigation arose between Nixon and Cox. President Nixon ordered Richardson to dismiss Cox. But Richardson refused to do so and resigned as attorney general. Richardson served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from March 1975 to January 1976 and as ambassador at large from 1977 to 1980.
Richardson was born on July 20, 1920, in Boston. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1947. From 1959 to 1961, he served as U.S. attorney in Massachusetts. He was lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1964 to 1967 and Massachusetts attorney general from 1967 to 1969. In 1969, Richardson became undersecretary of state in the Nixon Administration. Richardson died on Dec. 31, 1999.
