Rep. Clif Richardson Fights Serious Threat from Cancer

BATON ROUGE — State Rep. Clif Richardson is attending to his duties during the current session of the Louisiana Legislature while undergoing treatment for a life-threatening cancer.

Richardson, who was just reelected to his second four-year term in the House last fall, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a cancer in the leukemia family.

In an interview Wednesday, Richardson said he greatly appreciates the support and encouragement of friends.

He said he has been undergoing chemotherapy twice a week.  He has experienced some pain and nausea from the treatments.

“When I get my protein level down, I will go in for a bone marrow transplant,” he said.

The former owner of Rebel Electric and former justice of the peace said, “There is no cure yet for this kind of cancer but it can go into remission.  Hopefully, we can get it in remission and wait for a cure.”

Last week, Rep. Richardson announced that he has resigned from his three committees in the House — the Committee on Transportation and Development, Committee on Natural Resources, and Committee on Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs.

Richardson, 69, served as justice of the peace from 1991 to 2007.  In the House, he succeeded his friend, the late Rep. Donald Ray Kennard, who held the House seat from 1976 until 2008, longer that anyone else has ever represented East Baton Rouge Parish in the state legislature.

He was reelected to his second term without opposition.

Richardson, a native of Independence, is married to the former Diane Carpenter.