Madeleine Albright, first female secretary of state, dies at 84

Madeleine Albright, the first woman to hold the position of US Secretary of State, died Wednesday, her family said in a statement. She was 84 years old.

Her family said she died of cancer, adding that she was “surrounded by family and friends” at the time.

“We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” the statement said, as well as “a tireless champion of democracy and human rights.”

President Bill Clinton then appointed Albright as US ambassador to the United Nations shortly after his inauguration in 1993, and nominated her as Secretary of State three years later. She served in this position for four years, actively promoting NATO expansion and military intervention in Kosovo.

In 2012, then-President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

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