Washington, March 24 (BNA): Madeleine Albright, a child refugee from Nazi- and then-Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe who rose to become the first Secretary of State and mentor to many current and former US men and women, died Wednesday. Her family said. She was 84 years old.
A lifelong Democrat who nonetheless worked to bring Republicans into her orbit, Albright was chosen in 1996 by President Bill Clinton to be America’s top diplomat, elevating her from the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations, where she was the second woman to hold the position. .
As Secretary of State, Albright was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States government. However, she was not in the line of succession to the presidency, as she was born in what was then Czechoslovakia. However, she was universally admired for breaking a glass ceiling, even by her political critics.
“We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” her family said in a statement.
President Joe Biden has ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings and grounds to be moved to half-staff through March 27.
Condolences came quickly.
“America has never had a champion more committed to democracy and human rights than Secretary Albright, who personally knew and wrote powerfully about the dangers of tyranny,” Biden said.
Biden added, “Whenever I think of Madeleine, I will always remember her strong belief that ‘America is the indispensable nation.'”
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Albright was “a brilliant diplomat, a visionary leader, a courageous pioneer, a dedicated mentor, and a great and kind person who loved the United States deeply and devoted her life to serving it.”
Clinton described her as “one of the best secretaries of state, an outstanding ambassador for the United Nations, an accomplished professor, and an extraordinary human being.”
And through it all, Clinton added, “until our last conversation just two weeks ago, she never lost her sense of humor or her determination to step out in her shoes, and support Ukraine in its struggle to preserve freedom and democracy.”
Former President George W. Bush said that Albright “lived the American dream and helped others achieve it. … I served with distinction as a foreign-born Secretary of State and I understood first-hand the importance of free societies for peace in our world.”
Linda Thomas Greenfield, US envoy to the United Nations, honored Albright as a “pioneer and star” in her remarks in the General Assembly Hall.
In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, saying her life had been an inspiration to all Americans.
MI