WASHINGTON (AP) – Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as US secretary of state, has died of cancer, according to her family. She was 84.
The Albright Stonebridge Group, a business strategy firm founded by Albright, confirmed the news in an email that was sent to staff.
President Bill Clinton chose Albright as America’s top diplomat in 1996, and she served in that capacity for the last four years of the Clinton administration.
At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in the history of U.S. government. She was not in the line of succession for the presidency, however, because she was a native of Czechoslovakia.
“She was surrounded by family and friends,” her family announced on Twitter.
See the full statement below:
Below is a statement from the family of @Madeleine: pic.twitter.com/C7Xt0EN5c9
— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) March 23, 2022