Mary Margaret Richardson (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Milner; May 14, 1943 – July 13, 2021) was an American tax

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

. She served as

Commissioner of Internal Revenue The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury. The office of Commissioner was created by Congress as part of the Revenue Act of 1862. Secti ...

at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from 1993 to 1997. She was the second woman to hold the position, after her immediate predecessor,

Shirley D. Peterson Shirley D. Peterson is an American lawyer, businesswoman and former college president.Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the List ...

, on May 14, 1943. Her father was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...

; her mother worked as an English teacher. Richardson was raised in Waco and

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in Ameri ...

. She studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely fol ...

, graduating with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in 1965. She then attended the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of co ...

, where she was one of the editors of '' The George Washington Law Review'', and obtained a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

in 1968. She went on to clerk for the

US Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

Early career

Richardson first worked at the Office of Chief Counsel of the IRS for eight years. She eventually rose to the position of director of the administrative services division, becoming the first woman promoted to executive rank in that office's history. She subsequently joined

Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, rebranded to the abbreviated name of Sutherland, was an AmLaw 100 American law firm. Founded in 1924 by William Sutherland and Elbert Tuttle as Sutherland & Tuttle, the firm originally achieved national promine ...

, a law firm in Washington D.C., in 1977. She became a partner three years later and worked there until her appointment to the IRS in 1993. Richardson became friends with

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

while they were both members of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

. She helped fundraise for her husband,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

, during his 1992 presidential campaign.

Commissioner of the internal revenue service

Upon becoming president in 1993, he appointed Richardson as

. She was the second woman to serve in the post, after her immediate predecessor,

Shirley D. Peterson Shirley D. Peterson is an American lawyer, businesswoman and former college president. She was also the second partner from Sutherland, Asbill to be appointed to the role, after Randolph W. Thrower from 1969 to 1971. During her tenure, Richardson attempted to bring the agency's technology – some of which was built in the 1960s – up to date. However, she was unable to make significant headway and this undermined confidence in her administration. She was also appointed to the IRS Commissioner's Advisory Group, serving as a member from 1988 to 1990 and as chair from 1989 to 1990.

Post commissioner of IRS

Following her service as IRS Commissioner concluded in 1997, Richardson became a member of

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Delo ...

, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

later that year until June 2003. She subsequently served on the boards of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Inc.,

Legg Mason Legg Mason was an American investment management and asset management firm headquartered in Baltimore, founded in 1899 and acquired by Franklin Templeton Investments as of July 2020. As of December 31, 2019, the company had $730.8 billion in as ...

, and WETA. Richardson was a member of the District of Columbia and Virginia bars and a fellow of the

American Bar Foundation The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is an independent, nonprofit national research institute established in 1952 and located in Chicago. Its mission is to expand knowledge and advance justice by supporting innovative, interdisciplinary and rigoro ...

. She co-authored several editions of ''The Ernst & Young Tax Saver's Guide''.Richardson, Margaret Milner and Peter W. Bernstein (1999). ''The Ernst & Young Tax Saver's Guide 2000.'' John Wiley & Sons, Richardson, Margaret Milner and Peter W. Bernstein (2002). ''The Ernst & Young Tax Saver's Guide 2002.'' John Wiley & Sons, ASIN B001JBAOBERichardson, Margaret Milner and Peter W. Bernstein (2003). ''The Ernst & Young Tax Saver's Guide 2003.'' Wiley,

Personal life

Richardson married John L. Richardson in 1967. He worked as a transportation lawyer, and they remained married until her death. Together, they had one child, who was also named Margaret. Richardson served as vice chair of

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

. Richardson died on July 13, 2021, at her home in

Delaplane, Virginia Delaplane is an unincorporated community in northern Fauquier County, Virginia, approximately due west of Washington, D.C. Delaplane is situated along U.S. Route 17, U.S. Route 50, and Interstate 66; bordering Upperville, Virginia to the north, ...

. She was 78, and suffered from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

prior to her death.

References

External links

Margaret Milner Richardson profile
via Forbes * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Margaret 1943 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Commissioners of Internal Revenue Deaths from cancer in Virginia Deaths from lung cancer George Washington University Law School alumni Lawyers from Washington, D.C. People from Fauquier County, Virginia Tax lawyers Vassar College alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers