Madeleine Albright, 1st female U.S. secretary of state, dies

Madeleine Albright, a child refugee from Nazi- and then Soviet-dominated eastern Europe, was appointed secretary of state by former U.S. President Bill Clinton

Madeleine Albright, a child refugee from Nazi- and then Soviet-dominated eastern Europe who rose to become the 1st female U.S. secretary of state and a mentor to many current and former American statesmen and women, has died of cancer, her family said Wednesday. She was 84.

A lifelong Democrat who nonetheless worked to bring Republicans into her orbit, Ms. Albright was chosen by former President Bill Clinton to be America's top diplomat in 1996, elevating her from her post as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, where she had been only the second woman to hold that job.

As secretary of state, Ms. Albright was the highest-ranking woman in the history of U.S. government. She was not in the line of succession to the presidency, however, because she was a native of Prague. The glass ceiling that she broke was universally admired, even by her political detractors.

In announcing her death on Twitter, Ms. Albright's family said she died of cancer and was surrounded by family and friends: “We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” the statement said.

“Laura and I are heartbroken by the news of Madeleine Albright’s death," said former President George W. Bush. “She lived out the American dream and helped others realize it.... She served with distinction as a foreign-born foreign minister who understood firsthand the importance of free societies for peace in our world. I respect her love of country and public service, and Laura and I are grateful to have called Madeline Albright our friend.”

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had been informed of Mr. Albright's death as they were flying to Brussels for an emergency meeting of NATO leaders about Ukraine.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. envoy to the United Nations, honoured Ms. Albright as a “trailblazer and a luminary” in remarks on the General Assembly floor shortly after news of her death emerged.