Albright, Madeleine | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Madeleine Albright

Born May 15, 1937

Prague, Czechoslovakia

Czech refugee from World War II who became the first female secretary of state

"The success of American foreign policy … will make the difference between a future characterized by peace, rising prosperity and law, and a more uncertain future in which our economy and security are always at risk, our peace of mind is always under assault and American leadership is increasingly in doubt."

Madeleine Albright was the daughter of Jewish parents in Czechoslovakia at a time when Germany controlled the country and hunted down Jews for eventual murder as undesirable people. Her family smuggled her out of the country to England. She made her way to the United States, where she eventually became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and, later, the first woman secretary of state.

Early Life in Czechoslovakia

Madeleine Albright was born Maria Jana Korbel on May 15, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her father, Josef Korbel (1909–1977), was a diplomat for the Czech government. When Germany seized control of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Josef and his wife Anna fled with their daughter to the safety of London to avoid arrest in Prague at a time when the German government was discriminating against Jewish citizens.

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