Let us hail Madeline Albright, the first female US Secretary of State

I was saddened to hear of the death of Madeleine Albright at the aged of 84 following her diagnosis of cancer. She was an outstanding public figure in American politics and the first woman to hold the post of Secretary of State (in European terms, Foreign Minister) in the Clinton administration.

You can read an obituary in the “Guardian” new paper here.

I have two personal recollections of Albright.

First, since I was married to a half-Czech for 35 years, I was very aware of Albright’s Czech heritage. Born Marie Jana Korbelová in Prague in 1937 but known as Madeleine since infancy, Albright fled with her family for London in 1939 after the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia. 

Second, I was fan of the U S television series “Madam Secretary” in which Tea Leoni played a non-party Secretary of State. Albright played herself in a couple of appearances es in the series, showing that she had the common touch.


 




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