Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (Marie Jana Korbelová) (born Prague, Czechoslovakia 15 May 1937 – died 23 March 2022 Washington, D.C., United States) was an American politician and diplomat. She was the first female to serve as United States Secretary of State, from 1997 to 2001. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia but moved with her family to Britain in 1939. After the collapse of Nazi Germany, the family returned to Prague. When Madeleine’s father Josef Korbel was appointed as Czechoslovakian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, they moved to Belgrade. Communist Party of Czechoslovakia took over the government in 1948 and Josef, being a deep opponent to communism, sent the family to the United States. Madeleine became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1957.
