Madeleine Albright

United States Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001

Photo by: United States Department of State · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:May 15, 1937

Died:March 23, 2022

Age at death:84

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Cancer

Zodiac Sign:Taurus

Children:3

Born in:Prague, Czech Republic

Buried in:United States

Languages:English, Czech

Autobiographer Opinion Journalist Writer Foreign Minister Ambassador Politician Political Scientist University Teacher Diplomat

Signature

Links

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Famous For

Movies & TV

Call + ResponseThe Final DaysCitizen HavelThe Age of ConsequencesGEN – Galerie elity národa

Books

Fascism: A WarningPrague WinterMadam SecretaryThe Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World AffairsMadeleine Albright: On being a woman and a diplomat

Awards

Silver Medal of the President of the Senate (2019)Medal for Distinguished Contribution to Diplomacy (2019)Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2018)Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012)Colorado Women's Hall of Fame (2010)

Madeleine Albright

United States Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001

Biography

Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to hold the position. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Albright immigrated to the United States after the 1948 communist coup d'état when she was eleven years old. Her father, diplomat Josef Korbel, settled the family in Denver, Colorado, and she became a U.S. citizen in 1957. Albright graduated from Wellesley College in 1959 and earned a PhD from Columbia University in 1975, writing her thesis on the Prague Spring. She worked as an aide to Senator Edmund Muskie from 1976 to 1978, before serving as a staff member on the National Security Council under Zbigniew Brzezinski. She served in that position until 1981 when President Jimmy Carter left office. After leaving the National Security Council, Albright joined the academic faculty of Georgetown University in 1982 and advised Democratic candidates regarding foreign policy. Following the 1992 presidential election, Albright helped assemble President Bill Clinton's National Security Council. She was appointed United States ambassador to the United Nations, a position she held until her elevation as secretary of state in 1997. Secretary Albright served in that capacity until President Clinton left office in 2001. Albright served as chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a consulting firm, and was the Michael and Virginia Mortara Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in May 2012. Albright served on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Madeleine Albright”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“Our nation's memory is long and our reach is far.”

— Public statement in response to the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. In: Schweid, Barry (August 10, 1998) "Albright Offers $2M Bombings Reward".

“Lesley Stahl: We have heard that half a million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it? Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it.”

— Stated on CBS's 60 Minutes (May 12, 1996). Albright was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations at the time.

“My deepest regret from my years in public service is the failure of the United States and the international community to act sooner to halt these crimes.”

— Comment on the Rwandan Genocide in Madam Secretary (2003), p. 147.

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Madeleine Albright", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Madeleine Albright, official secretary of State portrait

Birds of State The special exhibition, Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection, will be on view at the LBJ Presidential Library through Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018. Shortly after becoming a U.S. diplomat, former Secretary of State and U.N. Ambassador Madeleine Albright discovered the power of jewelry to convey a foreign policy message. She selected appropriate pins and brooches to wear to particular meetings to visually express her high hopes, determination, impatience, or warm feelings. The jewelry, described by Albright as "Pins of the People," became her diplomatic signature. The exhibition showcases more than 200 beautiful pins and brooches from Albright's personal collection. Lexus of Austin/Lakeway is the LBJ Library Exhibition sponsor. 10/26/2017 LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin

Funeral service for former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2022 [State Department photo by Freddie Everett/ Public Domain]

Munich Security Conference, Main Conference Hall, Friday, February 14, 2020.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, flanked by Secretary of State John Kerry and former Secretaries of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Colin L. Powell, delivers remarks at a reception celebrating the completion of the U.S. Diplomacy Center at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on January 10, 2017. [State Department Photo/ Public Domain]