Madeleine Albright kept up her trailblazing work long after being secretary of state
Madeleine Albright, a refugee brought to U.S. shores after fleeing Nazis and communists and who went on to become the first woman to serve as secretary of state, died on Wednesday of cancer. She was 84 years old.
Albright had a long and storied career in foreign policy, serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1993-97 before reaching the pinnacle of diplomacy: secretary of state. She was the first woman to hold the position and the highest-ranking woman in government at the time.
"Madeleine was always a force for goodness, grace, and decency—and for freedom," said President Biden in a statement after her death.
When Albright left office in 2001, she vowed she wasn't finished.
"I am still here and have much more I intend to do," she said. "As difficult as it might seem, I want every stage of my life to be more exciting than the last."
From refugee to U.N. ambassador
For Albright, diplomacy was in her blood.
Born Madeleine Korbel in 1937 in
