Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as U.S. Secretary of State, Dies

Madeleine Albright, known as the first woman to serve as the U.S. secretary of state, has passed away at age 84 after a battle with cancer. Her family broke the news Wednesday (March 23).

Albright was picked by President Bill Clinton to serve as America’s top diplomat in 1996. She was secretary of state for the full second term of the Clinton administration, and at the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in the history of U.S. government.

“Few leaders have been so perfectly suited for the times in which they served,” Clinton said in a statement. “As a child in war-torn Europe, Madeleine and her family were twice forced to flee their home. When the end of the Cold War ushered in a new era of global interdependence, she became America’s voice at the UN, then took the helm at the State Department, where she was a passionate force for freedom, democracy, and human rights.”

Read the family’s full statement below.

Below is a statement from the family of @Madeleine: pic.twitter.com/C7Xt0EN5c9

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) March 23, 2022