Do You Know Madeleine Albright?
By Jordan Green
The very first female to become U.S. Secretary of State was an intrepid behind-the-scenes negotiator, Madeleine Albright. She served from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Her ascension to this position is remarkable when you consider she was a Czech immigrant escaping the dystopia after World War II. One of the steps her parents took to escape the Hitler regime was to disguise their Jewish faith in order to move to safer countries.
Dr. Albright earned a scholarship to Wellesley College in Massachusetts [Alma Mater of Hillary Clinton] and Columbia University. There she edited the school’s newspaper and pursued her passion for politics.
This pursuit led to her earning a P.H.D. in public law and government in 1976 from Columbia University. She was encouraged to pursue her passion for politics at the urging of a former professor. Dr. Albright worked on President Clinton’s 1992 presidential election and helped assemble Clinton’s National Security Council. In 1993, Clinton appointed her to the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She held that position until 1997, when she succeeded Warren Christopher as Secretary of State.
Dr. Albright opened the door for future Secretaries of State Colin Powell [as you know, the first African American], Condoleezza Rice and, ironically, Hillary Clinton!
