Richard Means: A Life Spent Fighting for Democracy

by Todd Fuqua

The late Richard Means (BS 65) came to ENMU from Champaign, Illinois, and was determined to return to his home state to make the world a better place, one vote at a time.

His anger at Chicago’s history of voting corruption prompted him to be one of the top election lawyers in Illinois, committing himself to fair elections free of fraud and corruption for his entire career until he died Dec. 17, 2020.

Being from Chicago didn’t preclude him from attending college more than 1,000 miles away in Portales. His big-city heritage made him something of a celebrity on the ENMU campus.

“There were no big cities in New Mexico at the time,” said ENMU graduate and fellow Chicago lawyer Howard Melton (BBA 65). “Albuquerque wasn’t that large, and Richard was from a city of 10 million people. It was a different dynamic for him and all of us.”

Richard’s different perspective affected his fellow students in the early 60s, and Howard figures Richard’s exposure to the rural high plains of eastern New Mexico influenced his late friend as well. Richard spent a year abroad at the University of Stockholm, where he was exposed to more liberal ideas.

While most might think that degrees from small colleges like ENMU might not have the clout on the big stage, Richard returned to Illinois and studied law at Northwestern University, eventually practicing law while keeping a sharp eye on the voting process.

He was a Democrat, but Richard looked out for all candidates in any race, regardless of party. In his 50-plus year legal career, he represented candidates for mayor, judge, alderman, Illinois state representatives and senators from all parties. He consulted with presidential candidates, including independent Ross Perot’s 1992 and Democrat Joseph Biden’s 2008 presidential runs, regarding ballot access in Illinois.

Richard looked out for minority voters, serving with Americans for Democratic Action and Independent Voters of Illinois. He was past chairman of the Chicago Bar Association’s Election Law Committee and was the past executive director of the Chicago Council of Lawyers. Richard also helped organize a political action committee for the American Middle East Voters Alliance (AMVOTE) in 2004, dedicated to strengthening the Arab-American vote.

“Rich contributed his time to many community-based organizations (and candidates) to give minorities a voice in government,” wrote retired judge William Haddad in a post on the AMVOTE website. “He was generous to more groups and individuals than anyone I know. He was highly ethical while being practical in his advice and guidance.”