Meet Madeleine

Madeleine Albright was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, nee Marie Jana Körbelová. Her father, a Czech diplomat, fled to England with his family when Nazi Germany invaded. After returning post-WWII, he was forced to flee once again when the Communist Party took power. In 1947, the family arrived at Ellis Island and eventually settled in Denver.

Marie Jana changed her name to Madeleine because it sounded more “American.”  She excelled academically, eventually earning her PhD in Public Law and Government from Columbia University.

Like her father, Madeleine entered politics, specializing in foreign policy, and earned the reputation of a tough-minded, outspoken negotiator. Despite her obvious brilliance, she had to fight for respect in a field dominated by men. She served as a foreign policy advisor to Jimmy Carter and provided counsel to several other high-ranking public figures. In 1993, she began her role as Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1997, President Clinton appointed her as Secretary of State, making her the highest-ranking woman to hold that position. Some male critics opposed her due to her gender, dismissing her as “window dressing.” Nevertheless, she persevered, successfully advocating for democracy and human rights worldwide.

Madeleine retired from politics in 2001 but continued to teach at Georgetown University, where she advocated for global justice and women’s rights. In recognition of her contributions, she received the Great Immigrants Award from the Carnegie Foundation in 2006 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Second in our Famous Refugee series.