Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state, died at 84. Along with her career, her marriage has drawn the same level of attention. Learn about her ex-husband and if she was married at the time of her children. Did she leave behind any children?
We answer it below, so keep scrolling to learn more about her.
Was Madeleine Albright Married At The Time Of Her Death?
No, Madeleine Albright wasn’t married at the time of her death. She once said during an interview after her divorce with her ex-husband, “My last date had been in the 50s. This was the 80s. With no idea what the new rules were, I felt like a 45-year-old virgin.”
Who Is Madeleine Albright Ex-Husband Joseph Albright?
Madeleine Albright met her ex-husband Joseph Albright when she was working a summer vacation shift at the Denver Post. He was the scion of one of the most powerful American newspaper dynasties of the time, a descendant of the founder of the Chicago Tribune. They married in 1959. From there on, her life had an upward-moving trajectory.
Until Joseph reportedly left her for a younger woman. After he left, Madeleine had lost her confidence because of his remarks (he told her she had become too old-looking and that his new lover was considerably younger and beautiful).
Joseph used to call her every day to complain that he couldn’t choose between Madeleine and his younger-than-Madeleine lover. He had rested his final decision on the chance of him winning the Pulitzer Prize. She once said, “If he got the Pulitzer, he would stay with me. If not, he would leave and we would get a divorce.”
Their marriage came to an end in 1982.
Despite her professional achievements, Madeleine grieved for the one she lost because her identity was tightly wrapped around the twin personas of wife and mother.
She had spoken of her success and marriage in her book which is probably the most telling moment in its entirety. Madeleine was asked whether a married woman with full domestic responsibilities could ever be the player she was on the world stage.
According to Guardian, Madeleine replied, “When I became secretary of state, I realized that, though others might, I would never have climbed that high had I still been married. Yet I am deeply saddened to have been divorced. I know that, at the time, I would have given up any thought of a career if it would have made Joe (who left her for another woman) change his mind.”
Madeleine talked about the problem of balancing the demands of family with academic and professional interests from her graduation until the graduation of her last child.
She wrote in her book, “As I began to climb the ladder, I had to cope with the different vocabulary used to describe similar qualities in men (confident, take-charge, committed) and women (bossy, aggressive, emotional). It took years, but over time I developed enough faith in my judgment to do my job in my own way and style, worrying at least a little less about what others thought.”
How Many Kids Did Madeleine Albright And Her Ex-Husband Joseph Albright Have?
Madeleine Albright had three children; premature twins, Alice Patterson Albright and Anne Korbel Albright, a second daughter who probably suffered brain damage as a result of Madeleine contracting German measles and died at birth, and then a third daughter, Katherine Medill Albright.
Alice Albright is currently working as the CEO of The Global Partnership for Education. She served as EVP and COO of Export-Import Bank of the United States. She had previously served as Vice President of J.P. Morgan from 1989 to 1999. Alice holds BA in history from Williams College and MA in International Finance and Banking from Columbia.
Anne Korbel Albright served as an associate judge, was born on 17 June 1961, in Garden City, New York. She graduated from Dartmouth College in History and Economics. Also, she earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987. Click the link for details on her career.
Related FAQs
-
Who Were Madeleine Albright Parents?
Madeleine Albright was born Marie Jana Korbelova to Josef Korbel, a Czechoslovak diplomat, and Anna Spieglová. Her parents thought she would have safer life if she were seen to be Czech. Josef became a professor at the University of Denver.
Her family fled the country after the occupation of his country by Nazi Germany in 1939. She came to the U.S. at the age of 11 after her parents sought asylum from communism in 1948 and sought political asylum the same year. Whereas, three of her grandparents subsequently died in Nazi concentration camps.
She became a US citizen in 1957.
Madeleine was brought up as a Roman Catholic and became an Anglican after her marriage. When she became secretary of state, she received letters telling her that her parents were Jewish. She was unaware of her Jewish heritage.
Madeleine shared that the new information was “fairly compelling” but wanted to conduct more research into her family. According to Washington Post, she said, “Obviously it is a very personal matter for my family and brother and sister and my children.” “The only thing I have to go by is what my mother and father told me, how I was brought up,” Albright said.
-
Did Madeleine Albright Have Siblings?
Madeleine Allbright was the eldest of the three children born to her parents. She had a brother named John Korbel and a sister named Katherine Korbelova. She has spoken movingly of her past and the importance that her family’s experience with Nazis and later Communists has had on her political views.
Madeleine’s father and mother never talked to her or her two siblings about the relatives’ fate or their Jewish background.
