Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state for the U.S., has died of cancer, her family announced Wednesday. She was 84 years old.
"We are heartbroken to announce that Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, the 64th U.S. secretary of state and the first woman to hold that position, passed away earlier today," her family said in a statement. "The cause was cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends. We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend."
Albright is known for her work in former President Bill Clinton's administration, having helped "steer Western foreign policy in the aftermath of the Cold War," CNN reports. She served first as a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations before becoming secretary of state during Clinton's second term in 1996.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As the nation's top diplomat, she pushed for the expansion of NATO, championed democracy and human rights worldwide, and looked to reduce nuclearization, CNN and NBC News note.
In 2012, former President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Medal of Freedom. She was a native of Prague.
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
