Born: 15 May 1937, Czechia
Died: 23 March 2022
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Marie Jean “Madlenka” Korbel
The following is republished from the US Department of State. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated to be the first woman Secretary of State by President William Jefferson Clinton on December 5, 1996, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 22, 1997, and sworn in the next day. She served in the position for four years and ended her service on January 20, 2001.
Rise to Prominence
Albright was born Marie Jean “Madlenka” Korbel on May 15, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her father, Josef, was a member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Service and served as press attaché in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and later became Ambassador to Yugoslavia. After the communist coup in 1948, the family immigrated to Denver, Colorado. Albright Americanized her name to Madeleine, became a U.S. citizen in 1957, and earned a B.A. in political science with honors from Wellesley College in 1959. She earned the Ph.D. in Public Law and Government at Columbia University in 1976.
Albright served as chief legislative assistant to Senator Edmund Muskie (D-Me) from 1976 to 1978. From 1978 to 1981, she served as a staff member in the White House under President Jimmy Carter and on the National Security Council under National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski.
In 1982 she was appointed Research Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Director of its Women in Foreign Service Program. In 1993 she was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations by President Clinton and served in the position until her appointment as Secretary of State in 1996.
Influence on American Diplomacy
As Secretary of State, Albright promoted the expansion of NATO eastward into the former Soviet bloc nations and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics to rogue nations, successfully pressed for military intervention under NATO auspices during the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo in 1999, supported the expansion of free-market democratization and the creation of civil societies in the developing world, favored the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on Global Climate Change, and furthered the normalization of relations with Vietnam.
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
1937, May 15 Born Marie Jana Korbel, Prague, Czechoslovakia
1939-1945 Lived in England with her family
1945 Returned to Czechoslovakia with her family
1948 Arrived in United States with her family
1949 Korbel family granted political asylum by the United States
1957 Granted American citizenship
1959 B.A., Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. Married Joseph Albright (divorced 1983)
1968 M.A. and certificate from Russian Institute, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
1976 Ph.D. in public law and government, Columbia University
1976-1978 Chief legislative assistant to Senator Edmund Muskie
1978-1981 Staff member, White House and National Security Council
1981-1982 Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.
1982-1993 Research professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and director of Women in Foreign Service program, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
1983 Published Poland: The Role of the Press in Political Change. New York: Praeger
1984 Foreign policy advisor to Walter Mondale presidential campaign and vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro
1984-1993 Vice chair, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Washington, D.C.
1987-1988 Foreign policy advisor to presidential candidate Michael Dukakis
1989-1992 President, Center for National Policy, Washington, D.C.
1992 Designated permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations by President Bill Clinton
1993-1997 Permanent representative to the United Nations, United States Department of State, New York, N.Y.
1996 Nominated to serve as secretary of state by President Bill Clinton
1997-2001 Secretary of state, United States Department of State, Washington, D.C.
2001 Founded The Albright Group LLC, New York, N.Y.
2003 Published Madam Secretary: A Memoir. New York: Miramax Books
2006 Published The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs. New York: Harper Collins
2008 Published Memo to the President Elect: How to Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership. New York: Harper Collins
2009 Published Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box. New York: Harper Collins. Chair, Albright Stonebridge Group (formerly The Albright Group LLC), New York, N.Y.. Chair, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Washington, D.C.
2012 Published Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War: 1937-1948. New York: Harper Collins. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
2018 Published Fascism: A Warning. New York: Harper Collins
2022, Mar. 23 Died, Washington, D.C.