On March 23, 2022, Madeleine Albright, an American diplomat and the first woman to hold the office of US secretary of state, passed away from cancer. She was 84.
Her family members posted on Twitter to confirm her death. From 1997 until 2001, she served as the 64th secretary of state for the US under former president Bill Clinton.
“We are heartbroken to learn that Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, the 64th U.S. Secretary of State and the first woman to hold that office, passed away earlier today,” read a statement from Albright’s family. Cancer was the cause. Family and friends had gathered around her. A devoted mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend have passed away.
She received accolades from several politicians, including current US President Joe Biden, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former US Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
Everything you need to know about Madeleine Albright
My statement on the passing of Madeleine Albright—one of the finest Secretaries of State, an outstanding UN Ambassador, a brilliant professor, and an extraordinary human being. pic.twitter.com/50QXFhzGit
Few presidents have been so ideally fitted for the times in which they served, the Clintons stated in their statement. She considered her positions as both an obligation and an opportunity because she was personally aware of the potential impact that American policy choices had on people’s lives all across the world.
Below is everything you need to know about Madeleine Albright.
Early Life & Career
1937 saw the birth of Albright in Prague, Czechoslovakia as Marie Jana Korbelová. Her family fled to the United States as refugees from Prague in 1948. In 1975, Albright earned her doctorate in philosophy.
On educational boards, she held numerous positions. She served as the congressional liaison for the National Security Council in the West Wing in 1978.
After that, Albright was named ambassador to the UN. Warren Christopher, the 63rd Secretary of State, was stepping down when Bill Clinton was elected to serve a second term as US president in 1997, hence he required a replacement. In 1996, Albright became the first woman to hold the position of secretary of state in the annals of US politics.
In recognition of her career advancement in American politics, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
Personal life of Madeleine Albright
She married Joseph Medill Patterson Albright in 1959 after receiving her degree from Wellesley College.
After 23 years of marriage, the couple split in 1982. Because his grandpa founded the New York Daily News, Joseph was a well-known figure in the publishing industry.
Who are Madeleine Albright’s Children?
Three kids are born to Albright. In the year 1961, she gave birth to twin daughters, Alice Patterson Albright and Anne Korbel Albright.
In 1966, five years later, Katherine Medill Albright, her third child, was born.
After graduating from Williams College, Alice went on to Columbia University to earn her master’s in international relations. In 1987, she got hitched.
The Georgetown University Law Center awarded Anne her law degree. In 2011, Anne, who has considerable legal experience, presided as a judge in the state’s Montgomery County court.
Williams College and Georgetown University Law Center both awarded Katherine their diplomas. She is the executive director of Safe and Sound, a San Francisco-based group that advocates for children, as well as an attorney. In Nairobi, Kenya, Katie also helped found the Kayole-Gitau Nursery School and Community Center.
