Madeleine Albright

Bio:
Madeleine Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová on May 15, 1937 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is an American politician and diplomat and the very first woman to become the U.S. Secretary of State. She was nominated to the office by President Bill Clinton in 1996. She served from 1997 – 2001. Prior to that she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 – 1997. Madeleine is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group and a professor of international relations at Georgetown University. In May 2012, President Barack Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Best Known For:
Madeleine is best known for being the first female U.S. Secretary of State.

Personal Life:
Madeleine’s father, Josef Korbel, was a Czech diplomat. He and her mother, Anna Spieglová, never spoke to Madeleine or her siblings about their Jewish background. She spent some of her childhood in the United Kingdom, and her family emigrated to the U.S. in 1948. She was married to Joseph Albright from 1959 – 1982. She has three children.