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Like many of you, I was deeply saddened by the passing of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She lived an extraordinary life – fleeing the Nazis in Czechoslovakia as a child, becoming the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and blazing a trail as the first woman to serve as Secretary of State. Secretary Albright believed passionately that every person everywhere deserved to live in freedom; that it was worth defending and fighting for. And she poured a great deal of energy into mentoring the next generation of diplomats. There are people across the Department of State, students she mentored at universities, and colleagues and friends across the globe, who benefited from working with her and from her encouragement, and I know many of you are reflecting on her legacy today.
I received the news while I was traveling with the President to NATO – an institution Secretary Albright revered and made stronger.
It was important to me to share some thoughts on Secretary Albright’s remarkable contributions and what she meant to all of us, here at the State Department and worldwide.
Madeleine Albright was a brilliant diplomat, a visionary leader, a courageous trailblazer, a dedicated mentor, and a great and good person who loved the United States deeply and devoted her life to serving it. She was also a wonderful friend to many, including me. I’ll miss her very much.
Having arrived here as a refugee at age 11, she never forgot the generosity that America extended to her family when they needed it most. Having seen America at its best, she pushed relentlessly for us to live up to our role as a moral beacon and defender of freedom. And having experienced the horrors of war firsthand – fleeing Czechoslovakia after the Nazis invaded, then hiding in shelters as German bombs fell on London – she believed that the United States must respond forcefully to dictators and tyrants. She created the Community of Democracies, a coalition of countries that defends democratic values around the world. And thanks in no small part to her, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined NATO, and the United States defended ethnic Albanians in Kosovo against Serbian aggression. Today, there’s a square and a street in Kosovo named for Madeleine, and a statue of her stands in the capital.
When she was nominated to be Secretary of State, some openly questioned whether a woman could go toe-to-toe with world leaders. Madeleine quickly quashed those misguided doubts. There was simply no doubt that, in any room, she was as tough as anyone and often tougher. That said, it wasn’t always easy. She described walking into her first meeting of the UN Security Council as the U.S. ambassador: “15 seats and 14 men, all looking at me.” But when she saw the plaque at her seat that read THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, her nerves vanished: “I thought, if I do not speak today, the voice of the United States will not be heard. When I finally did speak, it was the first time that I represented the country of my naturalization, the place where I belonged.”
Madeleine mentored a generation of diplomats and national security experts. I’m one of many who benefited from her wisdom and encouragement. And in her post-State career, she dedicated herself to teaching, continuing to invest in our future diplomats and leaders.
After leaving the State Department, when asked if she was relieved not to be dealing with crises around the world, she’d say simply, “I miss it every day.” She loved this country. She loved the Department of State. And we loved her back.
To our very first Madam Secretary – thank you.
I’m looking forward to staying connected in the months to come. Share what Secretary Albright meant to you by writing to me and my team at EmailTeam@State.gov.
Sincerely,
 Secretary Antony J. Blinken
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