Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, died Wednesday, March 23. She was 84 years old.
Madeleine was born in 1937 in Czechoslovakia. In 1948, Madeleine and her family moved to America. She attended college in the United States, became a citizen, and began working for the government. Her specialty was foreign affairs, or working with other nations. She taught international affairs at Georgetown University, directed its Women in Foreign Service Program, and in 1993 became Ambassador to the United Nations.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton chose her as secretary of state. The secretary of state is in charge of the department that helps the president handle our relationships with other countries. She served until 2001.
She died of cancer. Her family said that she was “surrounded by family and friends” at the time.
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Photo Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
