Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright was a longtime Georgetown SFS professor who served as US Ambassador to the United Nations and as Secretary of State during President Bill Clinton's (SFS '68) administration. Albright first joined the Georgetown faculty in 1982, departing a decade later to join the Clinton administration. She returned to the university in 2001 after serving as Secretary of State and continued to teach until her death in 2022.

Early life and professional career

Albright was born to a Jewish family in Prague in 1937. After Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia, her family fled to London. Out of concern over the war's outcome and their survival, the family converted to Catholicism in 19411. Albright would not discover her family's heritage until the 1990s2. Though Albright's family returned to Czechoslovakia after the war and her father briefly served as the ambassador to Yugoslavia, they soon fled again after the country's 1948 Communist coup and settled in the US3. 

Albright became a US citizen in 1957 and graduated from Wellesley College in 19594. She continued her studies at Columbia University, where she was taught by future National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, and ultimately earned her doctorate in 19765. Her first political involvement came with her work on Sen. Edmund Muskie's (D-ME) 1972 presidential campaign6. Brzezinski, appointed National Security Adviser by President Jimmy Carter, later hired Albright to work on the National Security Council7.

Georgetown (1982-1992)

Albright joined Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in 1982 as the Donner Professor of International Affairs, also serving as director of Georgetown's Women in Foreign Service program8. Albright remained intimately involved in Democratic politics throughout her time at Georgetown, advising various candidates. She assisted with debate preparations for 1984 Democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro, the first major-party female vice-presidential nominee in US history9. Albright also advised Gov. Michael Dukakis (D-MA) during his ultimately unsuccessful 1988 presidential campaign and helped organize a September 1987 event in the ICC featuring Dukakis10. Albright also helped moderate a September 1988 event featuring Dukakis in Gaston Hall11. An opinion piece in The Hoya credited Albright with enhancing Dukakis's understanding of defense and international affairs, areas where he lacked meaningful experience12. 

In 1989, SFS dean Peter Krogh hosted an eight-part panel series on PBS called "Great Decisions" that discussed a new foreign policy issue in each episode13. Albright served as a panelist along with Dean Krogh; the other two panelists were former National Security Adviser Richard Allen and Wall Street Journal foreign editor Karen Elliot House14. In October 1989, she was elected president of the Center for National Policy, a moderate and non-partisan public policy think tank15.

Clinton administration

After Bill Clinton's victory in the 1992 presidential election, Albright was one of several Georgetown professors and administrators to serve on his transition team16. On December 23, 1992, Clinton announced his nomination of Albright as US Ambassador to the United Nations17. Just over a month later, the Senate unanimously confirmed Albright18. 

Albright's tenure as ambassador to the UN was marked by significant geopolitical and humanitarian crises. 18 American soldiers were killed in Somalia in 199319. The following year, the US failed to meaningfully intervene during the Rwandan genocide, one of the Clinton administration's most controversial foreign policy episodes. Albright criticized UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for his inaction and later described the US's inaction in Rwanda as her greatest regret20. In one of her final acts as ambassador to the UN, Albright vetoed Boutros-Ghali's nomination for a second term21.

Secretary of State (1997-2001)

In 1997, President Clinton nominated Albright to serve as Secretary of State22. The Senate unanimously confirmed her with a 99-0 vote, making Albright the first woman to serve as Secretary of State23. 

Albright oversaw what was then NATO's most significant expansion since the alliance's inception: the 1999 additions of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic24. Less than two weeks after the three countries' accession, NATO began its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia; Albright was a staunch supporter of the campaign25. 

Georgetown (2001-2022)

In April 2001, Albright agreed to return to the SFS, taking the position of Michael and Virginia Mortara Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy26. She officially accepted the position in March 2002, arguing in a subsequent address that diplomacy took on increased importance in an increasingly globalized world27. Albright taught the course "America's National Security Toolbox", which The Hoya described as "notoriously difficult to get a spot in"28.

Throughout her time at Georgetown, Albright was an outspoken voice for a humanitarian foreign policy. In September 2003, Albright gave a wide-ranging foreign policy speech to a capacity crowd in Gaston Hall, urging a focus on humanitarian issues along with counterterrorism29. She specifically singled out poverty, ignorance, and disease as areas of special focus in foreign policy30. Albright reiterated her emphasis on humanitarian aid and intervention during a March 2005 speech in Gaston Hall31. She participated in a 2006 Save Darfur rally in New York City, attended by a contingent of Georgetown students32. Albright served as the SFS's commencement speaker in 2019, urging a commitment to democratic values and global cooperation33.

Albright was a frequent presence at major events. She was present at the 2013 dedication of a memorial to former Czech president Vaclav Havel in Alumni Square34. Havel, a longtime dissident, was Czechoslovakia's first post-communist president and the first president of the Czech Republic after Czechoslovakia's 1992 dissolution35. Albright also spoke at a 2013 dinner in Riggs Library honoring women ambassadors to the US36. In 2015, she engaged in a discussion in Gaston Hall with Kosovan president Atifete Jahjaga about women's role in peacekeeping and political organization37. She served as a panelist in a 2017 symposium reflecting on the Clinton administration38. In 2020, Georgetown hosted a virtual event featuring Albright and Hillary Clinton celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women39. The 1995 conference had included then-First Lady Clinton's famous statement that "women's rights are human rights"40. After Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, Albright participated in a panel with former CIA director George Tenet (SFS '76) and retired general George Casey (SFS '70) that examined how to improve the US's global reputation41.

During her time at Georgetown, Albright published eight books, often holding an event on campus to mark a book's release. Her seventh book, Fascism: A Warning, was published in 2018, highlighted by an event in the Lohrfink Auditorium42.

Albright died of cancer at age 84 on March 23, 202243. Georgetown honored Albright's life and accomplishments with a September 2022 symposium. The event featured reflections from various professors on Albright's legacy, discussions with both American and international diplomats, and a discussion featuring the Clintons44.

Legacy

As both a dedicated professor and a trailblazing diplomat, Albright left a profound legacy at Georgetown and around the world. President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the US's highest civilian honor, in 2012. Albright received the award alongside former SFS professor and Polish resistance figure Jan Karski, who died in 2000, and other notable figures such as Bob Dylan and Toni Morrison45. In 2018, Albright received the Jit Trainor Award for Excellence in the Conduct of Diplomacy in a Gaston Hall ceremony, followed by a lecture in which Albright characterized diplomacy as a critical tool for defending democracy46. 

• 1McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 2McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 3McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 4McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 5McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 6McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 7McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 8Bowen, Sarah. "GU Professor to Lead Public Policy Center." The Hoya. 13 October 1989.
• 9Discepolo, Sara. "GU Professor Coaches Ferraro." The Hoya. 2 November 1984.
• 10Wong, Nicole. "Dukakis Tickets Go To SFS." The Hoya. 25 September 1987.
• 11Moyer, Liz. "Dukakis Outlines Defense Strategy." The Hoya. 16 September 1988.
• 12Macomber, Brad. "Dukakis is Able to Govern and Ready to Lead." The Hoya. 11 October 1988.
• 13Maier, Diana. "SFS Dean Hosts Television Series." The Hoya. 28 February 1989.
• 14Maier, Diana. "SFS Dean Hosts Television Series." The Hoya. 28 February 1989.
• 15Bowen, Sarah. "GU Professor to Lead Public Policy Center." The Hoya. 13 October 1989.
• 16Friedman, Francine. "President-elect Picks GU Experts for Transition Team." The Hoya. 4 December 1992.
• 17Ifill, Gwen. "THE TRANSITION; CHRISTOPHER AND ASPIN NAMED FOR STATE DEPT. AND PENTAGON." The New York Times. 23 December 1992.
• 18Congress.gov, PN76-15. https://www.congress.gov/nomination/103rd-congress/76/15?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22Madeleine+Albright%22%5D%7D&s=6&r=8.
• 19McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 20McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 21McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 22McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 23McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 24McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 25McFadden, Robert D. "Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 25 March 2022.
• 26"Albright returns to GU." The Georgetown Voice. 26 April 2001.
• 27Romaniw, Mark. "Albright Addresses Globalization At Inauguration to Academic Post." The Hoya. 15 March 2002.
• 28Kupas, Paige and Liam Scott. "Madeleine Albright, First Female Secretary of State and Longtime Georgetown Professor, Dies." The Hoya. 24 March 2022.
• 29Brown, Erin. "Albright Draws Full House." The Hoya. 5 September 2003.
• 30Brown, Erin. "Albright Draws Full House." The Hoya. 5 September 2003.
• 31Smith, Monique. "Albright: U.S. Government 'Stingy'." The Hoya. 18 March 2005.
• 32Kinser, Shea. "Always remember the hummingbird." The Georgetown Voice. 21 September 2006.
• 33Rahman, Sana. "Albright Calls for Return to Democratic Values at SFS Commencement." The Hoya. 23 May 2019.
• 34Sen, Mallika. "Havel Memorial Dedicated." The Hoya. 4 October 2013.
• 35Sen, Mallika. "Havel Memorial Dedicated." The Hoya. 4 October 2013.
• 36Hinchliffe, Emma. "Dinner Honors Women Ambassadors." The Hoya. 16 October 2013.
• 37Delkic, Melina. "Albright, Jahjaga Discuss Women's Role in Peacekeeping." The Hoya. 4 October 2015.
• 38Rodriguez, Jesus. "Clinton Foreign Policy Partners Revisit the 'Indispensable Nation'." The Hoya. 7 November 2017.
• 39Tafazzoli, Sophie. "Albright and Clinton honor the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women." The Georgetown Voice. 13 September 2020.
• 40Tafazzoli, Sophie. "Albright and Clinton honor the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women." The Georgetown Voice. 13 September 2020.
• 41McLean, Caitlin. "Former US Foreign Policy Leaders Stress Importance of Rebuilding Country's Global Reputation." The Hoya. 20 November 2020.
• 42D'Alessio, Haley. "Albright Discusses New Book on Fascism." The Georgetown Voice. 24 April 2018.
• 43Kupas, Paige and Liam Scott. "Madeleine Albright, First Female Secretary of State and Longtime Georgetown Professor, Dies." The Hoya. 24 March 2022.
• 44Zheng, Adora. "Prominent National Leaders Honor Late Professor Madeleine Albright." The Hoya. 30 September 2022.
• 45Cohen, Tom. "Albright, Dylan among recipients of Presidential Medal of Freedom." CNN. 29 May 2012.
• 46D'Alessio, Haley. "Albright receives Georgetown award for diplomatic career." The Georgetown Voice. 16 February 2018.