Madeline Albright was the first woman to be the United States Secretary of State. She held the position from 1997 to 2001. She was also the country’s representative to the United Nations (1993-97). She died on Wednesday March 23, 2022 in Washington. She was 84.
She was counselor to President Jimmy Carter and a foreign policy adviser to three presidential candidates: former Senator Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota in 1984, Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts in 1988, and Mr. Bill Clinton in 1992. She was also the campaign foreign policy adviser to Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president. She was a professor at Georgetown University. Her last book, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir, written with Bill Woodward, was published in 2020.
She grew up as a Catholic but learned late in life about her Jewish heritage. She re-examined her beliefs and decided to remain Catholic. After the bombing of the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001, she came back to thinking about God, religion, and foreign policy. In 2006, Journey editor Tony Carnes talked with her about this turn toward religion. Each time they talked, her basic decency and intelligence just radiated out from her.
Read more on Secretary Albright’s faith and life.
