Secretary of state and a mentor to many current and former American statesmen and women has died of cancer her family said Wednesday. WASHINGTON AP Madeleine Albright a child refugee from Nazi- and then Soviet-dominated eastern Europe who rose to become the 1st female US. Madeleine Albright Trailblazing Secretary Of State Dies Time Secretary of state and the first woman to ever serve in the role has died of cancer her family said. . At the time of her birth Czechoslovakia had been independent for less than 20 years having gained independence from Austria-Hungary after World War I. Former President Bill Clinton calls Madeleine Albright the first female Secretary of State who served under him an outstanding UN Ambassador a brilliant professor and an extraordinary human. In 2012 Albright was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by. Madeleine Korbel Albright born Marie Jana Korbelová on May 15 1937 is a former American di